Table 4-21: Energy Intensity of Certificated Air Carriers, All Services(a)
| 1960 | 1965 | 1970 | 1975 | 1980 | 1985 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft-miles (millions) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic operations | 858 | 1,134 | 2,068 | 1,638 | 2,276 | 3,026 | 3,963 | 3,854 | 3,995 | 4,156 | 4,378 | 4,628 | 4,807 | 4,907 | 5,030 | 5,326 | 5,662 | 5,545 | 5,613 | 6,106 | 6,602 | 6,716 | 6,606 | 6,733 | 6,446 | 5,935 | 5,976 | 6,005 | 5,956 | 5,965 | 5,947 | 6,046 |
| International operations | 182 | 284 | 475 | 334 | 334 | 415 | 760 | 807 | 904 | 958 | 975 | 998 | 1,043 | 1,114 | 1,186 | 1,225 | 1,282 | 1,264 | 1,222 | 1,261 | 1,403 | 1,536 | 1,615 | 1,682 | 1,696 | 1,599 | 1,690 | 1,778 | (R) 1,770 | 1,758 | 1,790 | 1,825 |
| Available seat-miles (millions) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic operations | 52,220 | 94,787 | 213,160 | 215,275 | 326,734 | 452,756 | 570,558 | 551,562 | 567,040 | 582,122 | 598,150 | 616,459 | 639,013 | 652,026 | 661,616 | 698,866 | 726,291 | 704,801 | 687,226 | 697,012 | 750,902 | 758,665 | 746,002 | 763,581 | 734,241 | 683,441 | 689,911 | 697,779 | 699,590 | 708,403 | 721,277 | 756,934 |
| International operations | 13,347 | 29,533 | 51,960 | 64,138 | 84,514 | 110,578 | 182,652 | 186,468 | 205,829 | 211,831 | 211,109 | 215,623 | 220,708 | 228,689 | 237,413 | 242,981 | 254,048 | 245,718 | 227,291 | 225,396 | 249,123 | 270,588 | 281,551 | 296,535 | 306,599 | 291,866 | 302,013 | 314,744 | 312,475 | 316,936 | (R) 326,472 | 333,265 |
| Passenger-miles (millions) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic operations | 30,557 | 51,887 | 104,147 | 119,591 | 190,766 | 275,864 | 345,873 | 338,085 | 354,764 | 362,227 | 388,410 | 403,912 | 434,652 | 450,673 | 462,754 | 487,940 | 515,598 | 486,506 | 483,525 | 505,602 | 558,194 | 583,771 | 588,471 | 607,564 | 583,292 | 551,741 | 564,695 | 575,613 | 580,501 | 589,692 | 607,772 | 641,905 |
| International operations | 8,306 | 16,789 | 27,563 | 34,864 | 53,932 | 73,237 | 126,363 | 125,211 | 138,950 | 143,766 | 149,108 | 154,882 | 161,512 | 169,356 | 172,179 | 180,269 | 192,798 | 178,343 | 172,086 | 168,535 | 194,071 | 211,325 | 221,648 | 234,462 | 240,491 | 228,256 | 244,371 | 250,259 | 252,123 | 258,167 | (R) 261,745 | 266,890 |
| Fuel consumed (million gallons) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic operations | 1,954 | 3,889 | 7,857 | 7,558 | 8,519 | 10,115 | 12,212 | 11,360 | 11,598 | 11,960 | 12,501 | 12,812 | 13,187 | 13,658 | 13,303 | 14,491 | 14,865 | 13,868 | 12,922 | 13,082 | 14,091 | 13,976 | 13,694 | 13,682 | 12,686 | 11,339 | 11,257 | 11,035 | 10,440 | 10,337 | (R) 10,459 | 10,928 |
| International operations | 566 | 1,280 | 2,243 | 1,949 | 1,747 | 2,488 | 3,938 | 3,888 | 4,079 | 4,112 | 4,325 | 4,511 | 4,658 | 4,962 | 4,915 | 5,277 | 5,508 | 5,336 | 5,079 | 5,219 | 5,592 | 5,975 | 6,018 | 6,205 | 6,187 | 5,721 | 6,042 | 6,523 | 6,506 | 6,487 | 6,321 | 6,421 |
| Seats per aircraft | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic operations | 60.9 | 83.6 | 103.1 | 131.5 | 143.6 | 149.6 | 144.0 | 143.1 | 141.9 | 140.1 | 136.6 | 133.2 | 132.9 | 132.9 | 131.5 | 131.2 | 128.3 | 127.1 | 122.4 | 114.2 | 113.7 | 113.0 | 112.9 | 113.4 | 113.9 | 115.1 | 115.5 | 116.2 | 117.5 | 118.8 | 121.3 | 125.2 |
| International operations | 73.3 | 104.0 | 109.4 | 192.1 | 252.7 | 266.2 | 240.2 | 231.2 | 227.6 | 221.1 | 216.4 | 216.1 | 211.5 | 205.3 | 200.1 | 198.3 | 198.2 | 194.5 | 186.0 | 178.7 | 177.6 | 176.2 | 174.3 | 176.3 | 180.7 | 182.5 | 178.7 | 177.0 | (R) 176.6 | 180.2 | 182.4 | 182.6 |
| Seat-miles per gallon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic operations | 26.7 | 24.4 | 27.1 | 28.5 | 38.4 | 44.8 | 46.7 | 48.6 | 48.9 | 48.7 | 47.8 | 48.1 | 48.5 | 47.7 | 49.7 | 48.2 | 48.9 | 50.8 | 53.2 | 53.3 | 53.3 | 54.3 | 54.5 | 55.8 | 57.9 | 60.3 | 61.3 | 63.2 | 67.0 | 68.5 | (R) 69.0 | 69.3 |
| International operations | 23.6 | 23.1 | 23.2 | 32.9 | 48.4 | 44.4 | 46.4 | 48.0 | 50.5 | 51.5 | 48.8 | 47.8 | 47.4 | 46.1 | 48.3 | 46.0 | 46.1 | 46.1 | 44.8 | 43.2 | 44.5 | 45.3 | 46.8 | 47.8 | 49.6 | 51.0 | 50.0 | 48.3 | 48.0 | 48.9 | 51.6 | 51.9 |
| Energy intensity (Btu/passenger-mile) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic operations | 8,633 | 10,118 | 10,185 | 8,532 | 6,029 | 4,950 | 4,767 | 4,536 | 4,413 | 4,457 | 4,345 | 4,282 | 4,096 | 4,091 | 3,881 | 4,009 | 3,892 | 3,848 | 3,608 | 3,493 | 3,408 | 3,232 | 3,142 | 3,040 | 2,936 | 2,774 | 2,691 | 2,588 | 2,428 | 2,366 | (R) 2,323 | 2,298 |
| International operations | 9,199 | 10,292 | 10,986 | 7,547 | 4,374 | 4,586 | 4,207 | 4,192 | 3,963 | 3,861 | 3,916 | 3,932 | 3,893 | 3,955 | 3,854 | 3,952 | 3,857 | 4,039 | 3,984 | 4,180 | 3,890 | 3,817 | 3,665 | 3,572 | 3,473 | 3,384 | 3,338 | 3,519 | 3,484 | 3,392 | 3,260 | 3,248 |
| Load factor (percent) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic operations | 58.5 | 54.7 | 48.9 | 55.6 | 58.4 | 60.9 | 60.6 | 61.3 | 62.6 | 62.2 | 64.9 | 65.5 | 68.0 | 69.1 | 69.9 | 69.8 | 71.0 | 69.0 | 70.4 | 72.5 | 74.3 | 76.9 | 78.9 | 79.6 | 79.4 | 80.7 | 81.9 | 82.5 | 83.0 | 83.2 | 84.3 | 84.8 |
| International operations | 62.2 | 56.8 | 53.0 | 54.4 | 63.8 | 66.2 | 69.2 | 67.1 | 67.5 | 67.9 | 70.6 | 71.8 | 73.2 | 74.1 | 72.5 | 74.2 | 75.9 | 72.6 | 75.7 | 74.8 | 77.9 | 78.1 | 78.7 | 79.1 | 78.4 | 78.2 | 80.9 | 79.5 | 80.7 | 81.5 | 80.2 | 80.1 |
KEY: Btu = British thermal unit; R = revised.
a U.S. owned carriers only. Operations of foreign-owned carriers in or out of the United States not included.
NOTES
Aircraft-miles include all four large certificated air-carrier groups (majors, nationals, large regionals, and medium regionals), scheduled and charter, passenger, and all-cargo. Fuel consumed includes majors, nationals, and large regionals, scheduled and charter, passenger, and all-cargo.
Passenger-miles include all four large certificated air-carrier groups, scheduled and charter, passenger service only.
International operations include operations outside the United States, including those between the United States and foreign countries and the United States and its territories or possessions.
Load factor: Ratio of Passenger-miles to Available seat-miles.
Heat equivalent factor used for Btu conversion is 135,000 Btu/gallon.
SOURCES
Aircraft-miles, available seat-miles, and passenger-miles:
1960-70: Air Transport Association, available at http://www.air-transport.org/ as of July 31, 2002.
1975-2015: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T1: U.S. Air Carrier Traffic and Capacity Summary by Service Class, available at http://www.transtats.bts.gov/Fields.asp?Table_ID=264 as of Aug. 2016.
Fuel consumed:
U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Airline Fuel Cost and Consumption, available at http://www.transtats.bts.gov/fuel.asp as of Nov. 16, 2016.
Seats per aircraft, seat-miles per gallon, energy intensiveness and load factor:
Derived by calculation.