DOT Reports Gains in Domestic Travel

U.S. airlines carried 62.1 million scheduled domestic and international passengers in October 2010, according to Department of Transportation (DOT) data. This was a 5.6 percent increase from October 2009. The October 2010 passenger total was also 4 percent greater than two years ago in October 2008 but still remained 3.3 percent below the pre-recession level of October 2007.

The DOT also reported that U.S. airlines carried 4.9 percent more domestic passengers in October 2010 than they did in October 2009. The number of international passengers on U.S. carriers in October 2010 increased 11.8 percent over October 2009. The October 2010 load factors of 83.1 percent systemwide, 83.4 percent domestic and 82.3 percent international were the highest recorded for any October.
For the first 10 months of 2010, the number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines increased 2.0 percent from the same period in 2009 to 603.6 million. The number of passengers declined 4.5 percent from the first 10 months of 2008 to the first 10 months of 2010.

U.S. airlines carried 1.4 percent more domestic passengers and 5.9 percent more international passengers in the first 10 months of 2010 than during the same period in 2009.

In October, Delta Airlines carried more total system and international passengers than any other U.S. airline. Southwest Airlines carried the most domestic passengers.

During the first 10 months of 2010, Delta carried more total system and international passengers than any other U.S. airline. Southwest carried the most domestic passengers.

In October, more total system and domestic passengers boarded planes at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International than at any other U.S. airport and more international passengers boarded U.S. carriers at New York JFK than at any other U.S. airport.

During the first 10 months of 2010, more total system and domestic passengers boarded planes 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.

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