USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

BOX 2. Air Cargo Origin-Destination Segments and Markets

Monday, June 4, 2012

BOX 2. Air Cargo Origin-Destination Segments and Markets

To describe the level of inbound and outbound air cargo activity between major U.S. air gateways and foreign airports, this report uses information collected by the Office of Airline Information at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

RITA/BTS collects data on air cargo transported on nonstop bidirectional flights between U.S. and foreign airports. These data are included in the T-100 International Segment Data. The following are examples of nonstop segments for both inbound and outbound flights:

  • London-New York
  • Tokyo-Chicago
  • So Paulo-Miami

RITA/BTS also collects data on air cargo transported between airport market pairs for flights with multiple stops. The data for multistop flights are included in the T-100 International Market Data. The following are examples of market pairs for both inbound and outbound flights:

  • Zurich-London-New York (Zurich-New York market)
  • Tokyo-Anchorage-Chicago (Tokyo-Chicago market)
  • Taipei-Anchorage-Detroit (Taipei-Detroit market)

The T-100 Segment and Market Data cover both U.S. commercial air carriers and foreign carriers operating in the United States. The data cover all scheduled and unscheduled international nonstop and multistop commercial traffic involving aircraft of 60 seats or more that arrive at and depart from U.S. airports. Approximately 140 foreign carriers operating in the United States file information similar to that supplied by U.S. carriers, including the weight of the cargo and the origins and destinations.

This report uses the segment data in the individual air gateways profi les to show the direct airport-to-airport nonstop activity. It uses the market data to illustrate the true origins and destinations for the air freight handled by the airport gateways.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, November 2009