BTS 24-15 Thursday, May 14, 2015 Contact: Dave Smallen Tel: 202-366-5568 BTS Releases February 2015 U.S. Airline Traffic Data
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today that U.S. airlines’ systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service load factor – a measure of the use of airline capacity – rose to 84.2 percent in February, seasonally adjusted, reaching its highest level since February 2014. Seasonal adjustment allows the comparing of monthly load factors to all other months.
The February load factor was below the all-time seasonally-adjusted high of 84.6 reached in January 2014 as well as the February 2014 level. Load factor is a measure of the use of aircraft capacity that compares the system use, measured in Revenue Passenger-Miles (RPMs) as a proportion of system capacity, measured in Available Seat-Miles (ASMs).
The load factor rose month-to-month as a result of a 0.1 percent increase in RPMs from January to February combined with a 1.0 percent decline in ASMs.
Trends: Seasonally-adjusted Load factor in February (84.2) was higher than in any month since the peaks in January and February 2014. The February 2015 load factor was the third highest all-time, just below the first two months of 2014. Load factors have generally increased since the recession because passenger travel has increased at a faster pace than capacity. In February, RPMs were at the second highest level, down from the all-time high set in December but exceeding January, the third highest month. The last 10 months, starting with May 2014 through February 2015 are the 10 all-time highest months for RPMs.
Capacity declined in February from December, the highest all-time level, and from January, the eighth highest month, revised from last month’s Air Traffic press release. November, December and January are the only post-recession months among the top 10 for capacity, showing that after six years, capacity has returned to pre-recession levels. Systemwide enplanements in February were the highest since the recession. February international enplanements were the fifth highest all-time. Domestic enplanements have been rising slowly but remain below pre-recession levels. Domestic enplanements in February were at the highest level since March 2008.
Unadjusted Systemwide: Load factor (80.2) was at an all-time high for the month of February, exceeding the previous high set in 2014. Use, measured in RPMs and in number of passengers, was at the highest February level since 2008. Capacity, while up from February 2014, remained below the all-time highs for the month of February set in 2008 and below the post-recession peak in 2012.
Domestic: Load factor (82.4) was at an all-time high for the month of February, exceeding the previous high set in 2013. Use and capacity were at the highest February level since 2008.
International: Load factor (75.3), while up from February 2014, was below the all-time February high set in 2013. Use reached all-time highs for the month of February, exceeding the highs set in 2014. Capacity, while up from 2014, was below the all-time high set in 2012.
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. See Load factor, RPMs, ASMs and Passengers. For more historical data, see Traffic on the BTS website. See Seasonal Adjustment for methodology and additional explanation. See data for airline data since 2000 as well as seasonally-adjusted data for rail, transit, pipelines, trucking and waterways.
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BTS Releases February 2015 U.S. Airline Traffic Data
