U.S. airlines carried 66.1 million scheduled domestic and international passengers in June 2011, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reports in a release of preliminary data. This number is a 1.6 percent increase from June 2010. The June 2011 passenger total was also 3.9 percent above that of two years ago in June 2009 but remained 2.8 percent below the level of June 2008.
BTS, a part of DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, also reported that U.S. airlines carried 1.6 percent more domestic passengers in June 2011 than in June 2010. The number of international passengers on U.S. carriers in June 2011 increased 1.7 percent over June 2010.
U.S. airlines carried 357.8 million total system passengers during the first six months of 2011, up 2.3 percent from the same period in 2010 and the highest January-June total since 2008. Domestically, they carried 312.0 million passengers, up 2.2 percent from 2010 and the highest the highest January-June total since 2008. Internationally, they carried 45.7 million passengers, up 3.5 percent from 2010 and the highest January-June total since 2008.
Systemwide, domestic and international load factors declined in June 2011 from June 2010 as airlines added capacity, BTS said. Year-to-year, systemwide capacity was up 2.8 percent, domestic was up 2.7 percent and international was up 3.0 percent, measured by available seat-miles. The declines in June followed record system and domestic load factors in May.
In June, Delta Air Lines carried more total system and international passengers than any other U.S. airline and Southwest Airlines carried the most domestic passengers.
During the first six months of 2011, Delta carried more total system and Southwest carried more domestic passengers than any other U.S. airline. American carried the most international passengers, BTS said.
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