BTS Releases August 2012 Airline Traffic Data;

System Traffic Unchanged from August 2011

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported that U.S. airlines carried 66.3 million scheduled domestic and international passengers in August 2012, 0.2 percent fewer domestic passengers and 1.1 percent more international passengers than in August 2011. There was no systemwide change in air traffic compared to August 2011 but the airlines carried 0.1 percent more system passengers than in August 2010 (Tables 1, 2, 7, 13).

Although the number of passengers in the most recent month, August, was unchanged from a year ago, U.S. airlines carried 499.3 million total system passengers during the first eight months of 2012, up 1.0 percent from the same period in 2011 (Table 2). Domestically, the airlines carried 434.1 million passengers, up 1.0 percent from 2011 (Table 8). Internationally, they carried 65.3 million passengers, up 1.6 percent from 2011 (Table 14). See Tables 2, 8 and 14 of Air Traffic Press Releases for previous year numbers.

Additional traffic numbers can be found on the BTS website in the Airlines and Airports box. Click on a link in the column on the right. For more historical numbers, see Traffic on the BTS website.

Load Factor and Capacity

Passenger load factors for domestic, international and system passenger traffic were at record levels for the month of August (Tables 1, 7, 13). Following earlier service reductions, domestic capacity, measured by available seat-miles, was up 0.1 percent in August 2012 compared to August 2011. Revenue passenger miles (RPMs) increased by 1.4 percent (Table 7). The international load factor in August increased as airlines decreased capacity by 0.2 percent while RPMs increased by 0.7 percent (Table 13). Systemwide capacity was unchanged compared to a 1.2 percent increase in RPMs (Table 1). See Tables 1, 7 and 13 of Air Traffic Press Releases for previous year numbers.

Top Airlines

Monthly: In August, the combined Southwest Airlines-AirTran Airways carried more system and domestic passengers than any other U.S. airline (Tables 4, 10). United Airlines, following its merger with Continental Airlines, carried the most international passengers (Table 16). The top 10 U.S. airlines carried 84.3 percent of systemwide passengers, up from 75.6 percent carried by the U.S. airlines that were the top 10 in August 2011.

Year-to-date: During the first eight months of 2012, the combined Southwest-AirTran carried more system and domestic passengers than any other U.S. airline (Tables 3, 9). United, following its merger with Continental, carried the most international passengers (Table 15). The top 10 U.S. airlines carried 82.7 percent of systemwide passengers, up from 75.6 percent carried by the U.S. airlines that were the top 10 during the first eight months of 2011.

The merged Southwest and AirTran are now reporting separately although operating under a single certificate.

United and Continental began reporting jointly as United in January 2012. Numbers reported as United in this release for previous years do not include Continental's numbers.

ExpressJet Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines began reporting jointly as ExpressJet in January 2012. Numbers reported as ExpressJet in this release for previous years do not include Atlantic Southeast's numbers.

Top Airports

Monthly: In August, more total system and domestic passengers boarded planes at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International than at any other U.S. airport (Tables 6 and 12); and more international passengers boarded U.S. carriers at New York JFK than at any other U.S. airport (Table 18).

Year-to-date: During the first eight months of 2012, more total system and domestic passengers boarded planes at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson than at any other U.S. airport (Tables 5 and 11); and more international passengers boarded U.S. carriers at Miami than at any other U.S. airport (Table 17).

For other year-to-date and monthly comparisons, see the following tables:

System (Domestic + International) (Tables 1-6)

Table 1 (August and January through August 2011 and 2012):

Passengers

Flights

Revenue passenger-miles (RPMs)

Available seat-miles (ASMs)

Passenger load factor

Flight stage length

Passenger trip length

Table 2

System scheduled enplanements on U.S. airlines by month since January 2010

Airline Rankings

Table 3

January through August: Top 10 airlines by scheduled passenger enplanements

Table 4

August: Top 10 airlines by scheduled passenger enplanements

Airport Rankings

Table 5

January through August: Top 10 airports by scheduled passenger enplanements on U.S. airlines

Table 6

August: Top 10 airports by scheduled passenger enplanements on U.S. airlines

Scheduled Domestic Air Travel (Tables 7-12)

Table 7 (August and January through August):

Domestic passengers

Domestic flights

Domestic revenue passenger-miles (RPMs)

Domestic available seat-miles (ASMs)

Domestic passenger load factor

Domestic flight stage length

Domestic passenger trip length

Table 8

Domestic scheduled enplanements on U.S. airlines by month since January 2010

Airline Rankings

Table 9

January through August: Top 10 domestic airlines by scheduled passenger enplanements

Table 10

August: Top 10 domestic airlines by scheduled passenger enplanements

Airport Rankings

Table 11

January through August: Top 10 domestic airports by scheduled passenger enplanements

Table 12

August: Top 10 domestic airports by scheduled passenger enplanements

Scheduled International Air Travel on U.S. Airlines (Tables 13-18)

Table 13 (August and January through August):

International passengers

International flights

International revenue passenger-miles on U.S. airlines (RPMs)

International available seat-miles on U.S. airlines (ASMs)

International passenger load factor on U.S. airlines

International flight stage length on U.S. airlines

International passenger trip length on U.S. airlines

Table 14

International scheduled enplanements on U.S. airlines by month since January 2010

Airline Rankings

Table 15

January through August: Top 10 U.S. airlines by scheduled international passenger enplanements

Table 16

August: Top 10 U.S. airlines by scheduled international passenger enplanements

Airport Rankings

Table 17

January through August: Top 10 airports by scheduled international passenger enplanements on U.S. airlines

Table 18

August: Top 10 airports by scheduled international passenger enplanements on U.S. airlines

Reporting Notes

Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial U.S. air carriers detailing operations, passenger traffic and freight traffic. This release includes data received by BTS from 77 carriers as of Nov. 8 for U.S. carrier scheduled civilian operations. Go to http://www.transtats.bts.gov/releaseinfo.asp for the complete list of reporting and non-reporting carriers. U.S. carriers' foreign point-to-point flights are included in system and international totals. To create a customized table for passengers, flights, RPMs, ASMs and other data, including non-scheduled service, go to http://www.bts.gov/programs/airline_information/air_carrier_traffic_statistics/.

Traffic numbers are available on the BTS website at TranStats, the Intermodal Transportation Database, at http://transtats.bts.gov. Click on "Aviation." For system passengers, RPMs and ASMs by carrier through August, click on "Air Carrier Summary Data (Form 41 and 298C Summary Data)," and then click on "Schedule T-1." Use crosstabs to find scheduled service.

For domestic numbers through August and international numbers through May by origin as well as by carrier, after clicking on "Aviation," click on "Air Carrier Statistics (Form 41 Traffic)." Click on "T-100 Market" for system passenger numbers, "T-100 Domestic Market" for domestic or "T-100 International Market" for international. For flights, stage length and trip length, use the appropriate T-100 Segment database. Use crosstabs to find scheduled service.

TranStats system and international totals do not include U.S. carriers' foreign point-to-point flights. For August, U.S. carriers reported 216,874 foreign point-to-point passengers. For January through August, U.S. carriers reported 1,600,118 foreign point-to-point passengers.

Data are subject to revision. BTS has scheduled Dec. 20 for the release of September 2012 traffic data.

Table 1: Scheduled System (Domestic and International) Airline Travel on U.S. Airlines

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market and Segment

*Change in load factor points

**The average non-stop distance flown per departure in miles

*** The average distance flown per passenger in miles

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 2. Total System (Domestic and International) Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 3. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by January-August 2012 System* Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* System equals domestic plus international

** The merged Southwest and AirTran are now reporting separately although operating under a single certificate.

*** United's 2012 number is the report of the merged United and Continental. The 2011 numbers were reported separately by United and Continental.

**** ExpressJet's 2012 number is the report of the merged ExpressJet and Atlantic Southeast. The 2011 numbers were reported separately by ExpressJet and Atlantic Southeast.

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases.

Table 4. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by August 2012 System* Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* System equals domestic plus international

** The merged Southwest and AirTran are now reporting separately although operating under a single certificate.

*** United's 2012 number is the report of the merged United and Continental. The 2011 numbers were reported separately by United and Continental.

**** ExpressJet's 2012 number is the report of the merged ExpressJet and Atlantic Southeast. The 2011 numbers were reported separately by ExpressJet and Atlantic Southeast.

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases.

Table 5. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by January-August 2012 System* Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines**

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* System equals domestic plus international

** Numbers do not include international enplanements on foreign carriers

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases

Table 6. Top 10 U.S. Airports ranked by August 2012 System* Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines**

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* System equals domestic plus international

** Numbers do not include international enplanements on foreign carriers

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases

Table 7. Domestic Scheduled Airline Travel on U.S. Airlines

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market and Segment

* Change in load factor points

**The average non-stop distance flown per departure in miles

*** The average distance flown per passenger in miles

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 8. Domestic Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 9. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by January-August 2012 Domestic Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market

* The merged Southwest and AirTran are now reporting separately although operating under a single certificate.

** United's 2012 number is the report of the merged United and Continental. The 2011 numbers were reported separately by United and Continental.

*** ExpressJet's 2012 number is the report of the merged ExpressJet and Atlantic Southeast. The 2011 numbers were reported separately by ExpressJet and Atlantic Southeast.

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases.

Table 10. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by August 2012 Domestic Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market

* The merged Southwest and AirTran are now reporting separately although operating under a single certificate.

** United's 2012 number is the report of the merged United and Continental. The 2011 numbers were reported separately by United and Continental.

*** ExpressJet's 2012 number is the report of the merged ExpressJet and Atlantic Southeast. The 2011 numbers were reported separately by ExpressJet and Atlantic Southeast.

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases.

Table 11. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by January-August 2012 Domestic Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases

Table 12. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by August 2012 Domestic Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases

Table 13: International Scheduled Airline Travel on U.S. Airlines

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market and Segment

*Change in load factor points

**The average non-stop distance flown per departure in miles

*** The average distance flown per passenger in miles

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 14: International Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding

Table 15. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by January-August 2012 International Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in thousands (000)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market

* United's 2012 number is the report of the merged United and Continental. The 2011 numbers were reported separately by United and Continental.

** ExpressJet's 2012 number is the report of the merged ExpressJet and Atlantic Southeast. The 2011 numbers were reported separately by ExpressJet and Atlantic Southeast.

*** The merged Southwest and AirTran are now reporting separately although operating under a single certificate.

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases.

Table 16. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by August 2012 International Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in thousands (000)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market

* United's 2012 number is the report of the merged United and Continental. The 2011 numbers were reported separately by United and Continental.

** ExpressJet's 2012 number is the report of the merged ExpressJet and Atlantic Southeast. The 2011 numbers were reported separately by ExpressJet and Atlantic Southeast.

*** The merged Southwest and AirTran are now reporting separately although operating under a single certificate.

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases.

Table 17. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by January-August 2012 International Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines*

Passenger numbers in thousands (000)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market

* Numbers do not include international enplanements on foreign carriers

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases

Table 18. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by August 2012 International Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines*

Passenger numbers in thousands (000)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market

* Numbers do not include international enplanements on foreign carriers

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases