Estimated July 2019 U.S. Airline Traffic Data
U.S. airlines carried an all-time high estimated 77.9 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in July 2019, seasonally-adjusted, more than in any other month, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS) first estimate.
The July estimated passengers were 0.2% more than the June second estimate (77.8M), the previous high, and 3.8% more than the July 2018 reported data (75.1M).
BTS estimated 68.1 million domestic passengers, a domestic all-time high, and 9.8 million international passengers on U.S. airlines flights in July.
U.S. airline traffic reports are filed monthly with BTS. See the tables that accompany this release on the BTS website for summary data since 2016 (Tables 1-24) and complete data since 2000.
This release is a statistical estimate based on U.S. airlines reported data through May. BTS will release a second estimate of U.S. airlines July air traffic on Sept. 13, followed by a release of the reported data on Oct. 10.
Figure 1. Monthly Passengers on U.S. Scheduled Airlines (Domestic + International), Seasonally Adjusted July 2016 - July 2019 (June 2019-July 2019 estimated)
| Passengers in millions (Seasonally Adjusted) | 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul-16 | 68.0 | 2 | |||
| Aug-16 | 67.9 | 3 | |||
| Sep-16 | 69.6 | 4 | |||
| Oct-16 | 69.2 | 5 |
Most recent two months estimated
Four measures of U.S. airlines passenger enplanements
Estimated July seasonally adjusted
- System-wide enplanements reached a new all-time, seasonally-adjusted, high (77.9M) based on the estimate compared to reported data through May and estimates for June and July.
- Domestic enplanements reached a new all-time, seasonally-adjusted, high (68.1M) based on the estimate compared to reported data through May and estimates for June and July.
- International enplanements (9.80M) were down 0.1% from the all-time, seasonally-adjusted, estimated high of 9.81 million reached in June 2019.
Reported May seasonally adjusted
- System-wide enplanements (77.5M) were down 0.3% from the all-time, seasonally-adjusted, reported high of 77.7 million reached in March 2019.
- Domestic enplanements (67.8M) were down 0.5% from the all-time, seasonally-adjusted, reported high of 68.1 million reached in March 2019.
- International enplanements reached a new all-time, seasonally-adjusted, high (9.73M) up 1.0% from the previous high of 9.63 million reached in April 2019.
Estimated July unadjusted
- Systemwide enplanements (86.7M) reached a new estimated all-time high for the month of July, up 3.2% from the previous high in July 2018 (84.0M).
- Domestic enplanements (74.9M) reached a new estimated all-time high for the month of July, up 3.2% from the previous high in July 2018 (72.5M).
- International enplanements (11.8M) reached a new estimated all-time high for the month of July, up 3.7% from the previous high in July 2018 (11.4M).
Reported May unadjusted
- Systemwide enplanements (81.3M) reached a new reported all-time high for the month of May, up 5.2% from the previous high in 2018 (77.3M).
- Domestic enplanements (71.4M) reached a new reported all-time high for the month of May, up 5.2% from the previous high in 2018 (67.8M).
- International enplanements (9.98M) reached a new reported all-time high for the month of May up 5.6% from the previous high in 2018 (9.45M).
Table A. Seasonally Adjusted Estimated and Reported Passenger Enplanements Compared to Previous Time Periods, July Estimate
| Seasonally Adjusted | Passengers (in millions) | Percent Change Compared to | 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Previous Month | Previous Year | Three Years Previous | 2 | ||
| July estimate | 77.9 | 0.2% | 3.8% | 14.5% | 3 |
| May reported | 77.5 | 0.9% | 4.8% | 13.0% | 4 |
| 5 |
Table B. Unadjusted Estimated and Reported Passenger Enplanements Compared to Previous Time Periods, July Estimate
| Unadjusted | Passengers (in millions) | Percent Change Compared to | 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Previous Year | Two Years Previous | Three Years Previous | 2 | ||
| July estimate | 86.7 | 3.2% | 8.6% | 12.7% | 3 |
| May reported | 81.3 | 5.2% | 10.4% | 13.7% | 4 |
| 5 |
Year-to-Date
For the first seven months of 2019, January through July, U.S. airlines carried 538.9 million passengers, the highest total based on comparable records since 2003. The January-July number has reached a new high for five consecutive years. The 2019 seven-month number is up 4.0% from 2018, up 8.9% from 2017 and up 12.3% from 2016.
Figure 2. January-July Passengers on U.S. Airlines - 2003-2019
| U.S. Airline Jan-July Passengers | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 375 | 2 |
| 2004 | 409 | 3 |
| 2005 | 437 | 4 |
| 2006 | 439 | 5 |
| 2007 | 452 | 6 |
| 2008 | 450 | 7 |
| 2009 | 414 | 8 |
| 2010 | 418 | 9 |
| 2011 | 428 | 10 |
| 2012 | 433 | 11 |
| 2013 | 435 | 12 |
| 2014 | 445 | 13 |
| 2015 | 462 | 14 |
| 2016 | 480 | 15 |
| 2017 | 495 | 16 |
| 2018 | 518 | 17 |
| 2019 (est) | 539 | 18 |
| 19 |
For the June and July estimates and for data filed through May, see accompanying tables. For the complete database of reported data, see Traffic. For an explanation of BTS’ seasonal adjustment methodology, see Seasonal Adjustment.
BTS Estimates
For seasonally-adjusted passenger numbers, BTS first estimates have averaged within 0.8% of reported data while second estimates have averaged within 0.6% of reported data.
For unadjusted passenger numbers, BTS first estimates have averaged within 1.0% of reported data while second estimates have averaged within 0.7% of reported data.
For an explanation of BTS’ estimate methodology see Air Traffic Methodology.
Reporting Notes
Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial U.S. air carriers detailing operations, passenger traffic and freight traffic. This release includes data received by BTS from 76 U.S. carriers as of Aug. 6 for U.S. carrier scheduled civilian operations.
See the BTS Airlines and Airports page for additional scheduled service numbers through May for U.S. airlines. International data by origin and destination is available through February.
BTS has scheduled Sept. 13 for the release of the first estimate of August air traffic data, the second estimate of July air traffic data and reported data through June.
None of the data are from samples. Measures of statistical significance do not apply to the complete air traffic data.