Embedded Dataset Excel:

Dataset Excel:

Notes:

Domestic encompasses operations within and between the 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.  It also encompasses Canadian and Mexican transborder operations (U.S. airlines only).  All other operations are considered international. 

Description:

KEY:  N = data does not exist; R = revised; U = data is not available. 

^a Some totals include data not in the table; thus totals may not equal sum of table data. 

^b Includes scheduled and nonscheduled (charter) operators. By Sec. 2 of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 "charter air carrier" and "charter air transportation" replaced supplemental air carriers and supplemental air transportation, which were formerly Sec. 101(36) and (37) of the Act.  The 24 pre-deregulation supplemental carriers now have scheduled service authority. Carriers with annual revenue over $20 million. 

^c Total includes only those carriers who have reported employment statistics to BTS' Office of Airline Information. Full-time equivalent employees count two part-time employees as one full-time equivalent employee. Prior to 1980, there was no breakout for part-time employees so earlier numbers will overstate full-time equivalent employees.

^d Data does not include small-certificated and commuter carriers prior to 2002. Small-certificated and commuter carriers began reporting T1 data in January of 2002 for Alaskan carriers and in October of 2002 for the remainder of the U.S.

^e Passenger travel totals do not include Canada because the source does not record departures and arrivals to and from Canada.

^f Total revenue ton-miles includes passenger, freight, express, and mail.

^g Total revenue ton-miles of freight includes freight, express, and mail.

Source:

Unless otherwise noted, refer to chapter tables for sources.

Financial:

1960-70: Civil Aeronautics Board, Handbook of Airline Statistics, 1969 and 1973 (Washington, DC), pp. 69 and 71.  

1980: Civil Aeronautics Board, Air Carrier Financial Statistics, December 1981 (Washington, DC), pp. 3/28, 42, and 44.  

1990-2022: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Form 41 Air Carrier Financial Reports, Schedules P1.1 and P1.2, available at https://www.transtats.bts.gov/homepage.asp as of Aug. 30, 2023.

Inventory:

Number of carriers and full-time equivalent employees: 

1960: U.S. Department of Transportation,  Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Oct. 14, 2003. 

1970-80: U.S. Department of Transportation,  Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Nov. 2, 2007. 

1990-2022: U.S. Department of Transportation,  Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Form 41 Air Carrier Financial Reports, Schedule P1 Employees, available at  https://www.transtats.bts.gov/homepage.asp as of Aug. 30, 2023.

Number of aircraft available for service:

1960-2005: U.S. Department of Transportation,  Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, personal communication, Oct. 17, 2003, Sept. 10, 2004, Feb. 1, 2007, and Nov. 2, 2007. 

2006-22: U.S. Department of Transportation,  Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Form 41 Air Carrier Financial Reports, Schedule B43 Inventory and Schedule P1 Employees, available at https://www.transtats.bts.gov/homepage.asp as of Aug. 30, 2023.

Performance:

Aircraft revenue-miles, Aircraft revenue-hours, Revenue passenger-miles, Revenue passenger enplanements, Load factor, Total revenue ton-miles, Revenue ton-miles of freight:

1960-70: Civil Aeronautics Board, Handbook of Airline Statistics, 1969 and 1973 (Washington, DC), Part III, tables 2, 4, 7, and 13. 

1980: Civil Aeronautics Board, Air Carrier Financial Statistics, December 1981 (Washington, DC), pp. 2, 5, 46, and 86. 

1990-2022: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T1: U.S. Air Carrier Traffic and Capacity Summary by Service Class, available at https://www.transtats.bts.gov/homepage.asp as of Aug. 30, 2023.

Average passenger revenue / passenger-mile:

1960: Civil Aeronautics Board, Handbook of Airline Statistics, 1969 (Washington, DC:  February 1970), part III, table 2 (passenger-miles); part IV, table 2 (passenger revenues).

1970: Civil Aeronautics Board, Handbook of Airline Statistics, 1973 (Washington, DC: March 1974), part III, table 2 (passenger-miles); part IV, table 2 (passenger revenues).

1980: Civil Aeronautics Board, Air Carrier Financial Statistics (Washington, DC:  Annual December Issues), p. 2, line 3; and Air Carrier Traffic Statistics (Washington, DC:  Annual December Issues), p. 4, line 9.

1990-2022: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, TranStats Database, T1: U.S. Air Carrier Traffic and Capacity Summary by Service Class and Air Carrier Financial Reports, Schedule P-1.2, available at https://www.transtats.bts.gov/homepage.asp as of Aug. 30, 2023.

Average passenger fare:

1960: Civil Aeronautics Board, Handbook of Airline Statistics, 1969 (Washington, DC: February 1970), part III, table 2 (enplanements); part IV, table 2 (passenger revenue).

1970: Civil Aeronautics Board, Handbook of Airline Statistics, 1973 (Washington, DC:  March 1974), part III, table 2 (enplanements); part IV, table 2 (passenger revenue).

1980: Civil Aeronautics Board, Air Carrier Financial Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual December issues), p. 1, line 3; and Air Carrier Traffic Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual December Issues), p. 2, line 16 (passenger revenue / revenue passenger enplanements). 

1990: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, TranStats Database, T1: U.S. Air Carrier Traffic and Capacity Summary by Service Class, available at  https://www.transtats.bts.gov/homepage.asp as of Aug. 14, 2017, and Air Carrier Financial Reports, Schedule P-12, available at https://www.transtats.bts.gov/homepage.asp as of Aug. 14, 2017.

1995-2020: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Annual U.S. Domestic Average Itinerary Fare in Current and Constant Dollars (Washington, DC: Quarterly Release), available at https://www.bts.gov/content/annual-us-domestic-average-itinerary-fare-current-and-constant-dollars as of Sept. 24, 2021.

U.S. international passenger travel:

1960-70:  U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Report of Passenger Travel Between the U.S. and Foreign Countries, 1960, 1970 (Washington, DC).  

1980: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Special Programs Administration, U.S. International Air Travel Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), tables IIa and IId.  

1990-2022: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Special Programs Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T100: International Market, available at https://www.transtats.bts.gov/homepage.asp as of Aug. 30, 2023.

Safety:

1960-87: National Transportation Safety Board, available at http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/stats.htm as of November 2007 and personal communication. 

1998-2021: National Transportation Safety Board, Aviation Accident Statistics, table 6, 7, 8, 9 available at https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/data/pages/aviation_stats.aspx as of May 17, 2023.