U.S. Airlines Fly 9.1 Percent Fewer Passengers

The number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines in March 2009 declined by 9.1 percent from March 2008, dropping by 6.1 million to 61.0 million the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported. March was the 13th consecutive month with a decrease in passengers from the prior year.

BTS, a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, in a release of preliminary data, reported that U.S. airlines carried 8.6 percent fewer domestic passengers than in March 2008. International passengers on U.S. carriers decreased 12.3 percent, the largest year-to-year decline since December 2001.

For the first three months of 2009, the number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines declined by 10.3 percent from the same period in 2008, dropping to 162.6 million, 18.7 million fewer than a year earlier.

U.S. airlines carried 10.4 percent fewer domestic passengers and 10 percent fewer international passengers in the first three months of 2009 than during the same period in 2008. Southwest Airlines carried more total system and more domestic passengers for the first three months than any other U.S. airline.

American Airlines carried more international passengers than any other U.S. carrier. More total system and domestic passengers boarded planes in the first three months at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International than at any other U.S. airport, and more international passengers boarded U.S. carriers at Miami International than at any other U.S. airport.

U.S. carriers operated 2.3 million domestic and international flights in the first three months of 2009, 8.7 percent fewer than were operated during the same period in 2008. Domestic flights decreased 9 percent from the previous year while international flights were down 6.1 percent.

In March, U.S. airlines operated 818,000 scheduled domestic and international flights, down 6.5 percent from the number of flights operated in March 2008. The number of domestic flights decreased 6.6 percent in March from a year earlier while international flights were down 5.6 percent.

Among U.S. airlines, Southwest carried 23.1 million passengers on its system in the first three months of 2009, the most of any airline. In March, Southwest carried 9 million passengers on its system, the most of any airline.