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

Newsroom

Left Nav - Newsroom
Newsroom
86
Subscribe to RSS

Air Travel Consumer Report: August 2020 Numbers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today released its October 2020 Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on reporting marketing and operating air carrier data compiled for the month of August 2020.  The full consumer report and other aviation consumer matters of interest to the public can be found at http://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer.

 

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency has resulted in significant changes to airline schedules and operations, contributing to airlines’ on-time performance and cancellation statistics in August 2020.

August 2020 U.S. Airline Traffic Data

U.S. airlines carried 23.7 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in August 2020, seasonally-adjusted, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS), up 11.8% from July.

 

BTS is withholding the scheduled release of estimated traffic data for September and October because the statistical forecasts are based on previous trends and do not account for the impact of the coronavirus.

U.S. Airlines September 2020 Passengers Decreased 65% from September 2019 (Preliminary)

 

U.S. airlines carried 65% fewer scheduled service passengers in September 2020 than in September 2019 (preliminary), according to data filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by 23 airlines that carry more than 90% of the passengers. The 65% decline from September 2019 was the smallest annual decrease since March.

 

The large airlines carried 25.1 million passengers in September 2020 (preliminary), compared to 71.5 million passengers on all U.S. airlines in September 2019 and up from 3.0 million in April 2020, which was the lowest monthly total in BTS records dating back to 1974. The previous low was 14.6 million passengers in February 1975.

September 2020 Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) rose 0.8% from August

The Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI), which is based on the amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry, rose 0.8% in September from August, rising after a one-month decline, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS). From September 2019 to September 2020, the index fell 3.9% compared to a decline of 0.1% from September 2018 to September 2019 and a rise of 7.2% from September 2017 to September 2018 (Tables 1, 2, and 2A).