DOT Reports Largest Air Traffic Decline Since 2002

The number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines in November 2008 declined by 12.8 percent from November 2007, dropping by 7.9 million to 54.0 million in the largest decrease from the same month of the previous year since January 2002, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), reported in a release of preliminary data. November was the ninth consecutive month with a decrease in passengers from 2007.

BTS, a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, in a release of preliminary data, reported that U.S. airlines carried 13.6 percent fewer domestic passengers than in November 2007 in the largest year-to-year percent decline since November 2001. International passengers on U.S. carriers decreased 6.8 percent, the largest year-to-year decline since May 2003.

For the first 11 months of 2008, the number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines declined by 3.5 percent from the same period in 2007, dropping to 684.1 million, 24.7 million fewer than a year earlier. U.S. airlines carried 4.2 percent fewer domestic passengers and 1.8 percent more international passengers in the first 11 months of 2008 than during the same period in 2007.

The combined domestic and international system load factor of 79.6 percent for January through November was down 0.7 load factor points from last year’s record for the 11-month period. Load factor measures the use of the airlines’ passenger capacity. In November, the system load factor was 75.4 percent, down 2.4 points from the record November high in 2007.

The domestic load factor was 75.8 percent, down 2.0 points from the record November high in 2007. The international load factor at 74.3 percent was down 4.1 points from November 2007.