The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reports that 786.7 million scheduled passengers traveled on U.S. airlines and on foreign airlines serving the United States in 2010. This is a 2.1 percent increase from 2009. The 2010 passenger total still remained 3.2 percent below the level of 812.3 million in 2008.
U.S. airlines carried 2.4 percent more total system passengers in 2010 than in 2009. U.S. airlines carried 1.9 percent more domestic passengers in 2010 and 5.9 percent more international passengers than in 2009. Passengers to and from the United States on foreign carriers decreased 0.3 percent from 2009, BTS reports.
During the first six months of 2010, the number of passengers carried on U.S. airlines and on foreign airlines to and from the United States increased 1.6 percent from the same period in 2009. During the last six months, this increase was 2.6 percent.
Delta Air Lines, following its merger with Northwest Airlines, carried more total system passengers in 2010 than any other U.S. airline for the first time since 2001. Delta carried more international passengers to and from the United States in 2010 than any other U.S. or foreign carrier after American had carried the most for 20 consecutive years.
More total system passengers boarded planes in 2010 at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International than at any other U.S. airport; and more international passengers boarded planes at New York John F. Kennedy than at any other U.S. airport, BTS reports.
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