Airlines
for America® (A4A) announced that in 2012 the U.S. airlines achieved
the highest level for scheduled service since 1945, according to the
U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation
Statistics (BTS) report.
In
addition to the 82.8 percent load factor, the U.S. airline industry
enplaned 736.6 million passengers in scheduled service last year, up
0.8 percent from 2011, which includes a record-setting 83.4 million
international passengers. The all-time annual high for passengers
carried was 769.6 million in 2007. System-wide capacity, as measured
by available seat miles, rose 0.2 percent.
“Last
year, U.S. airlines set a modern-day record for passenger load
factor, which speaks directly to their efficient utilization of
seating capacity,” said John Heimlich Vice President and Chief
Economist for Airlines for America. “While the U.S. airline
industry operated approximately 2 percent fewer flights than in 2011,
it carried 737 million passengers, the most since 2008. In fact, our
nation’s carriers accommodated more than 83 million passengers
internationally, reflecting our increasing presence and service
offerings in highly competitive global markets.”
