BTS Releases May 2014 U.S. Airline Traffic Data

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today that U.S. airlines carried 65.8 million systemwide (domestic + international) scheduled service passengers in May 2014, 1.5 percent more than in May 2013. The systemwide total was the result of a 1.0 percent increase in the number of passengers on domestic flights (57.1 million) and a 4.7 percent increase in passengers on U.S. airlines’ international flights (8.6 million).

U.S. airlines carried 303.4 million systemwide (domestic + international) scheduled service passengers during the first five months of 2014, 1.6 percent more than during the same period in 2013. Domestically, U.S. airlines carried 263.1 million passengers, up 1.2 percent from 2013. Internationally, they carried 40.3 million passengers, up 3.9 percent from 2013. See Tables 2, 8 and 14 of Air Traffic Press Releases for previous-year data.

Load Factor

The May 2014 systemwide load factor (85.0 percent) was the all-time high for the month of May, exceeding the previous high of 84.2 set in 2013. Load factor is a measure of the use of aircraft capacity that compares demand, measured in revenue passenger-miles (RPMs), as a proportion of capacity, measured in available seat-miles (ASMs). Systemwide demand grew faster from May 2013 to May 2014 (up 2.5 percent) than the growth in capacity (up 1.6 percent). The domestic load factor (86.3) was a record high for the month of May, topping the previous high of 84.9 set in 2013. Domestic demand grew faster from May 2013 to May 2014 (2.1 percent) than capacity (0.4 percent), resulting in the higher load factor.

The international load factor (82.3) declined from 82.8 percent in May 2013 which was the highest May international load factor. International demand rose 3.5 percent from May 2013 to May 2014 but was outpaced by 4.2 percent growth in capacity, resulting in the lower load factor.

Trends for the Month of May

Systemwide: For the month of May, the 2014 systemwide passenger total was the highest since 2008 but below the all-time high in May 2007. Demand, measured in RPMs, was at the highest May level, exceeding the previous high in 2013. Capacity, measured in ASMs, was at the second highest May level, below the May 2008 level.

See Air Traffic Release for summary tables and additional data. Additional traffic data can be found on the BTS Airlines and Airports page. Click on a link in the Quick Links box on the right. For more historical data, see Traffic on the BTS website.

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