BTS 58-14 Advisory
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Contact: Dave Smallen
Tel: 202-366-5568 

BTS Releases September 2014 U.S. Airline Traffic Data 

 

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today that U.S. airlines carried 59.9 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in September 2014, 3.0 percent more than in September 2013. The systemwide total was the result of a 3.4 percent increase in the number of passengers on domestic flights (52.5 million) and a 0.5 percent increase in passengers on U.S. airlines’ international flights (7.5 million). 

U.S. airlines carried 574.3 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers during the first nine months of 2014, 2.4 percent more than during the same period in 2013. Domestically, U.S. airlines carried 497.3 million passengers, up 2.3 percent from 2013. Internationally, they carried 77.0 million passengers, up 2.9 percent from 2013. See Tables 2, 8 and 14 of Air Traffic Press Releases for previous-year data. 

Load Factor 

The September 2014 systemwide load factor (81.9 percent) was up from 81.6 in September 2013 and equal to the all-time September high in 2011. Load factor is a measure of the use of aircraft capacity that compares demand, measured in revenue passenger-miles (RPMs), as a proportion of capacity, measured in available seat-miles (ASMs). The growth in systemwide demand (up 2.7 percent) outpaced capacity growth (up 2.4 percent) from September 2013 to September 2014. The domestic load factor (82.1) was a record high for the month of September, topping the previous high of 81.8 set in 2011. Domestic demand grew faster from September 2013 to September 2014 (3.7 percent) than capacity (2.2 percent), resulting in the higher load factor.

The international load factor declined from 83.3 percent in September 2013 to 81.6 and was below the all-time September high of 83.6 in 2010 and 2012. International demand rose 0.6 percent from September 2013 to September 2014 but was outpaced by 2.7 percent growth in capacity, resulting in the lower load factor.  

For the nine-month January-September period, systemwide (83.9) and domestic (85.0) load factors were at all-time highs, exceeding the previous highs in 2013. The international load factor (81.6) was down from 2013. 

Month of September Trends  

Systemwide: For the month of September, the 2014 systemwide passenger total (59.9 million) is the highest on record, topping the previous high set in 2007. Demand, measured in RPMs, was at the highest September level, exceeding the previous record high set in 2013. Demand has exceeded pre-recession levels every month of 2014 except February. Capacity, measured in ASMs, was at the second highest September level, but was below the September 2007 level. 

See Air Traffic Release for summary tables and additional data. Additional traffic data can be found on the BTS Airlines and Airports page.  Click on a link in the Quick Links box on the right.  For more historical data, see Traffic on the BTS website.

You are subscribed to no topic for U.S. Department of Transportation. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.