air travel passengers per day

How Many People Fly Per Day: A Detailed Look At Air Travel Statistics

How many people fly per day? Have you ever wondered how many people are zooming through the skies on airplanes at any given moment? With over 100,000 flights taking off around the world every day, the answer may surprise you.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: over 10 million passengers fly per day globally across both domestic and international flights .

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down the daily air travel figures and trends. You’ll discover key stats on the total number of daily flights, passengers, and destinations. We’ll also explore who is flying, factors impacting travel volume, and where experts see things heading next for the aviation industry.

Breaking Down the Numbers: Key Air Travel Statistics

Over 100,000 flights daily.

When it comes to air travel, the numbers are truly staggering. Every single day, there are over 100,000 flights taking off and landing around the world. This means that at any given moment, there are thousands of planes soaring through the sky, connecting people to different corners of the globe.

The sheer volume of flights is a testament to the incredible infrastructure and logistics that make air travel possible.

Around 10 Million Passengers Each Day

With such a large number of flights, it’s no surprise that there are also millions of passengers taking to the skies every day. On average, around 10 million people board planes and embark on their journeys each day.

This number includes both domestic and international passengers, highlighting the global reach of air travel. Whether it’s for business or pleasure, millions of individuals rely on airplanes to transport them to their desired destinations.

Serving Approximately 3,700 Destinations Worldwide

The global network of airports is truly extensive, with approximately 3,700 destinations served by airlines around the world. This means that no matter where you are, there’s likely an airport within reach that can connect you to your desired location.

From major international hubs to smaller regional airports, the aviation industry strives to provide convenient access to a wide range of destinations.

These statistics paint a picture of just how integral air travel is in our modern world. The ability to travel quickly and efficiently has opened up opportunities for business, tourism, and personal connections on a global scale.

As technology continues to advance and air travel becomes more accessible, these numbers are only expected to rise. So the next time you board a plane, remember that you are just one of millions of people taking to the skies each day, all connected by the wonder of flight.

Who is Flying and Why?

When it comes to air travel, there are various reasons why people take to the skies. Whether it’s for business, leisure, or visiting loved ones abroad, the aviation industry caters to a diverse range of travelers.

Business Travel Trends

The world of business relies heavily on air travel, with professionals constantly crisscrossing the globe for meetings, conferences, and networking opportunities. Business travelers often value efficiency and convenience, seeking out airlines that offer reliable schedules, comfortable amenities, and seamless connectivity.

With the advent of technology, virtual meetings and teleconferences have become more common, but face-to-face interactions remain crucial in many industries.

According to IATA , in 2019, approximately 30% of all air travelers were flying for business purposes. This accounts for millions of people taking to the skies every day to conduct business worldwide. From entrepreneurs to executives, business travelers play a significant role in keeping the global economy moving.

Vacationers and Adventure Seekers

For many, air travel is synonymous with vacations and adventure. Whether it’s a tropical beach getaway, a thrilling ski trip, or a cultural exploration in a foreign city, vacationers make up a substantial portion of air travelers.

They seek relaxation, new experiences, and the opportunity to escape their daily routines.

According to the World Tourism Organization , international tourist arrivals surpassed 1.4 billion in 2018. With the increasing popularity of travel and the rise of budget airlines, more people than ever before are jetting off to explore new destinations.

From backpackers on a shoestring budget to luxury travelers seeking indulgence, the allure of discovering new places drives many vacationers to take to the skies.

Visiting Friends and Family Abroad

Another significant group of air travelers consists of those visiting friends and family who live in different countries. Many individuals have loved ones residing in far-flung corners of the world, and air travel provides the means to connect and strengthen those bonds.

Whether it’s attending a family reunion, celebrating a milestone, or simply spending quality time together, visiting loved ones abroad is a common reason for air travel.

The Migration Policy Institute estimates that there are approximately 272 million international migrants worldwide. This figure highlights the widespread need for air travel to maintain and nurture familial and social connections across borders.

From business travelers keeping the wheels of commerce turning, to vacationers seeking new adventures, and individuals visiting loved ones abroad, air travel caters to a diverse range of passengers. Each person has their own unique motivation for taking flight, contributing to the bustling world of aviation.

What Impacts Air Travel Volumes?

Seasonality.

One of the key factors that impact air travel volumes is seasonality. Travel patterns tend to fluctuate throughout the year, with certain months experiencing higher passenger numbers than others. For example, during the summer months, when schools are on break and families go on vacation, there is typically a surge in air travel.

Similarly, during holiday seasons like Christmas and New Year, airports are usually bustling with travelers. The biggest travel day, in fact, is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving .

Global Economic Conditions

The state of the global economy also plays a significant role in determining air travel volumes. During periods of economic growth, people tend to have more disposable income, which often leads to increased travel.

On the other hand, during economic downturns, people may cut back on non-essential expenses, including travel. Factors such as employment rates, consumer confidence, and exchange rates can all influence the demand for air travel.

External Events and Disruptions

External events and disruptions can have a profound impact on air travel volumes. Natural disasters, political unrest, terrorist attacks, and pandemics are just a few examples of events that can significantly disrupt air travel.

In such situations, airports may be forced to cancel flights, impose travel restrictions, or close altogether, leading to a decrease in passenger numbers. Likewise, external events like major sports events, festivals, or conferences can drive up air travel volumes as people travel to attend these gatherings.

It’s worth noting that these factors are not mutually exclusive and often interact with each other. For example, a combination of favorable global economic conditions and a popular sporting event can result in a surge in air travel.

Similarly, adverse weather conditions during peak holiday seasons can lead to flight cancellations and reduced passenger numbers.

If you want to dive deeper into air travel statistics and trends, you can visit websites like International Air Transport Association (IATA) or Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) . These organizations provide valuable insights and data on air travel volumes, passenger demographics, and industry forecasts.

The Future of Air Travel: Where Things May Be Headed

Continued overall growth projected.

The future of air travel is expected to see continued overall growth in the number of people flying per day. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) , the number of air passengers is projected to double by 2037.

This growth can be attributed to various factors, including the increasing global middle class, improved connectivity between destinations, and the rise of low-cost carriers.

More Budget Airlines and Cheaper Fares

One significant trend shaping the future of air travel is the emergence of more budget airlines and the subsequent decrease in airfares. With the rise of low-cost carriers such as Southwest Airlines , Ryanair , and AirAsia , flying has become more accessible and affordable for a larger segment of the population.

This has resulted in an increase in the number of people flying per day, as more individuals can now afford to travel by air.

According to a report from Statista, the global low-cost carrier market is expected to reach a value of $336 billion by 2025 . This indicates the growing popularity and demand for budget airlines and cheaper fares.

Technology Innovations Improving Experience

The future of air travel is also expected to be shaped by technological innovations aimed at enhancing the overall travel experience. One notable development is the use of biometric technology for identity verification and boarding processes.

This technology allows passengers to go through security and boarding procedures seamlessly, reducing waiting times and improving efficiency.

Another technological advancement is the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to enhance in-flight entertainment and provide a more immersive travel experience. Passengers can now enjoy virtual tours of their destination, watch movies in a virtual cinema, or even play interactive games during their flight.

Furthermore, airlines are investing in aircraft technologies that improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. This is an important step towards sustainable air travel, as it not only benefits the environment but also helps airlines reduce operational costs.

The future of air travel holds exciting possibilities, with continued growth, more budget options, and technological advancements that aim to enhance the overall travel experience. As more people have the opportunity to fly, air travel is set to become even more accessible, affordable, and enjoyable for travelers worldwide.

How Many People Fly Per Day – Conclusion

With over 100,000 flights crisscrossing the globe daily, the sheer scale of air travel is staggering . After learning about the approximately 10 million passengers in the air at any moment, the key drivers shaping volumes, and where the industry may be headed next, you now have deeper insight into this vital transportation network that has connected our world.

Jennifer Morris is an avid solo travel adventurer who founded Solo Traveller after many years of journeying on her own around the world. She has backpacked through over 50 countries across 6 continents over the past decade, striking up conversations with locals along railway platforms, learning to cook regional dishes in home kitchens, and absorbing a global perspective while volunteering with various community initiatives.

With a Masters in Tourism and Hospitality, Jennifer is passionate about responsible and meaningful travel that fosters cultural exchange. Whether trekking through the Atlas Mountains, sailing to Komodo National Park, or taking an overnight train across Eastern Europe - she is always seeking her next epic destination.

When not globetrotting, Jennifer calls Vancouver, Canada home. There she enjoys kayaking local waters, curling up with books on faraway places, and gearing up for her next solo backpacking trip. As the founder of SoloTraveller, she hopes to motivate and inform fellow solo explorers from all walks of life to take the leap into their own adventures.

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Air Travel Statistics 2023

Where did we go, how far did we travel and which airports did we frequent this year? As the leading data platform for the global travel industry, OAG has the inside scoop on the most popular travel locations, the airlines going furthest, the airports expanding their routes and much more. We've run the numbers for 2023 to share with you some vital aviation industry statistics.

WHEN WAS THE PEAK DAY FOR AIR TRAVEL IN 2023?

In 2023, the busiest day for airlines was Friday August 11th , when airlines operated 18,586,233 seats . For context, the average daily capacity over the year was 16,582,222, making this peak summer day 12% busier than the average travel day.

Conversely, the quietest day to travel by air is the third Saturday of the year , at least based on 2023's data. 13,967,001 seats operated on January 21st , making the day 16% less busy than the average for airline operators.

Which were the most popular destinations in 2023?

The top airline route based on Available Seat Kilometers (ASKs) is New York JFK to London Heathrow . Heathrow features in 4 out of the top 10 routes by ASK:

New York JFK - London Heathrow, 21,471,979,424 ASKs
London Heathrow - Singapore 19,460,546,436 ASKs
LAX - London Heathrow, 19,179,264,984 ASKs
Dubai - London Heathrow, 16,349,249,847 ASKs

Singapore's strong results this year are reflected in the fact that London Heathrow - Singapore Changi Airport is the second ranked route on the list, while the recovery of the USA market means that 6/10 of the routes include at least one US destination:

LAX - Taiwan, 12,938,927,648 ASKs
San Francisco - Taiwan, 12,912,318,601 ASKs
New York JFK - LAX, 12,875,821,884 ASKs
Seoul Incheon - LAX, 12,754,317,014 ASKs

In addition to the most popular routes, we can also reveal the longest and shortest international flight routes.

Starting with the shortest flight route of 2023 is a twice-weekly flight operated by Air Kiribati. The flight from Tarawa (TRW) to Abaiang (ABF) in Kiribati, in the Northern Gilbert Islands, is just 26 nautical miles with a flight time of 15 minutes, and serves as a lifeline service for residents of both islands.

The world's longest flight this year was Singapore Changi to New York JFK, coming in at 8,279 nautical miles and operated daily by Singapore Airlines. You can learn more about this route and explore the rest of the top 10 longest commercial flights in our blog .

Which airlines were most popular?

The largest airline in the world in 2023 was Southwest , with 619 billion ASKs. The carrier operated 9% more ASKs than its closest rival for the top spot, American Airlines .

The fastest growing airline of the year is Cathay Pacific, which saw the highest percentage increase in flights 2023 v 2022. The number of flights is up by 137% from 31,661 flights in 2022 to 75,161 in 2023. That said, there is still some way to go toward recovery and by the end of 2023, Cathay's flights are still 28% below 2019 levels.

How is the aviation industry's pandemic recovery progressing?

Total global capacity for the year has not quite recovered to the levels seen pre-pandemic ( it's expected to finish up at 5.5bn, which will be 3.7% down on 2019 ) , but strides were made in 2023 as those countries still maintaining travel restrictions through 2022 started to ease the rules.

When it comes to airlines, the most recovered when compared to pre-pandemic flights is Southern Airways Express, a small US commuter airline based out of Memphis. This year it operated 156% of it's 2019 flight lever , with 86,000 flights scheduled in 2023, equivalent to 235 flights per day. To give this number context, Southwest Airlines , the biggest airline in the world in terms of flights, operates 6,250 daily flights.

The most recovered airport of the top 100 largest airports by seat volume was Bogata , Colombia's largest airport, where capacity for 2023 is 16% above the level of 2019 .

Shanghai Airport (PVG) has added the most routes of any airport this year compared to last year, a reflection of China's gradual re-opening to the world. In 2019 there were 236 routes, dipping to 185 in 2022. In 2023 54 routes were added , bringing the total to 239, above pre-pandemic levels.

The overall theme of this year's airline data is one of growth and recovery, and while we hope soon to be in a position to stop comparing to 2019, the data will always tell a story. Make sure you don't miss a chapter by subscribing to our blog alerts, below.

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Simple Flying

When america flies: faa air traffic by the numbers.

Every day, 2.9 million people fly over American airspace and are carried by over 45,000 aircraft.

Over 2.9 million airline passengers daily, a population the size of Kansas and Mississippi combined.
10,000,000 scheduled passenger flights handled by FAA yearly, an impressive 16 million flights in total.
167,000+ general aviation aircraft in the US, along with 10,000 rotorcraft and 34,200 lightcraft.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides the numbers of how, when, and where America flies. Note that many of these figures are for 2019 - before the numbers crashed during the pandemic (the most recent numbers are for 2022 and were still recovering). The FAA is responsible for regulating aviation in the United States - including aviation safety ( they have recently established a new aviation review safety team ).

The flight & passenger numbers

Every day, FAA's Air Traffic Organization (ATO) is responsible for providing service to over 45,000 flights and some 2.9 million airline passengers (equal to the populations of Mississippi and Kansas). The FAA is monitoring and directing 5,000 flights at any given minute during the peak operational times (the rush hour of the skies). The numbers drop off between 5:00 and 11:00 GMT (or 01:00 and 7:00 EST) when the number of aircraft in the sky falls below 1,000.

Daily Passengers: 2.9 million (2019)
Daily Flights: Over 45,000

An astounding 16 million flights are handled by the FAA every year, of which over 10,000,000 are scheduled passenger flights.

Yearly Flights: 16,405,000 (10 million scheduled passenger flights)
Yearly Passengers: Approx. 1 billion

In 2019, there were a total of 1,057,645,399 air passengers - this halved during the Covid years (2020 and 2021) but had recovered to 917,029,842. For comparison, the population of the United States is approximately 330,000,000. By comparison, around 590 million Chinese fly every year, according to Ceic Data .

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Airports & air controllers.

With so many aircraft airborne (often in congested airspace), the airspace control system has become complex. Controlling the relentless hive of aircraft are 520 airport traffic control towers, 21 air route traffic control centers, and over 14,000 air traffic controllers.

Airspace: 29 million sq miles
Airport traffic control towers: 520
Air traffic controllers: Over 14,000
Air route traffic control centers: 21

Across the nation are 5,082 public airports and 14,551 private airports (a total of 19,633 airports). For the 2022 financial year, the top three airports with the highest number of operations were Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Atlanta (ATL), and Dallas Fort Worth (DFW).

Of the 29 million square miles of airspace, some 24,100 miles are oceanic airspace, and 5,300,000 square miles are of the United States domestic airspace.

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American aircraft by the numbers.

The aircraft in the US are composed of over 167,000 fixed-wing general aviation aircraft (many of which are small) and 10,000 rotorcraft (aka helicopters). Interestingly, there are some 34,200 experimental lightcraft.

General aviation aircraft: Over 167,000
Rotorcraft: 10,000
Experimental lightcraft: 34,200

Over the course of a year, general aviation clocks in over 25,500,000 flight hours and carries some 44,500,000,000 pounds of freight. The annual earnings from aviation in the United States amount to $488 billion (a little less than the GDP of Thailand) and account for over 10 million jobs (greater than the workforce of The Netherlands).

There are an estimated 756,927 active pilot certificates as of December 31, 2022 - of which 280,582 were students, and 119,832 were commercial certificates.

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World air passenger traffic evolution, 1980-2020

Last updated 3 Dec 2020

IEA (2020), World air passenger traffic evolution, 1980-2020 , IEA, Paris https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/world-air-passenger-traffic-evolution-1980-2020, Licence: CC BY 4.0

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International Civil Aviation Organization (2020). ICAO Economic Impact Analysis of COVID-19 on Civil Aviation.

a) Historical figures are subject to revision and estimates for 2020 will be updated with the evolving situation; and b) For latest update please refer to ICAO Economic Impact Analysis of COVID-19 on Civil Aviation at: https://www.icao.int/sustainability/Pages/Economic-Impacts-of-COVID-19.aspx .

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2019 Traffic Data for U.S. Airlines and Foreign Airlines U.S. Flights - Final, Full-Year

U.S. airlines and foreign airlines serving the U.S. carried an all-time high of 1.1 billion systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in 2019, 3.9% more than the previous annual record high of 1.0 billion reached in 2018.

Systemwide: 1,053 million passengers, up 3.9% from 2018 (1,014M)
Domestic: 811 million passengers, up 4.3% from 2018 (778M)
International: 241 million passengers, up 2.4% from 2018 (236M)

Systemwide passengers are those on all U.S. scheduled airline flights (domestic & international) and foreign airline flights to and from the U.S. Domestic passengers are those on flights from one U.S. airport to another U.S. airport. International passengers are those on flights between a U.S. airport and a foreign airport.

Annual Passengers on All U.S. Scheduled Airline Flights (Domestic & International) and Foreign Airline Flights to and from the United States, 2003-2019

Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market (All Carriers)

U.S. airlines passengers in 2019

Systemwide: 927 million, up 4.2% from 2018 (889M)
Domestic: 811 million, up 4.3% from 2018 (778M)
International* (to and from the U.S.): 115 million, up 3.8% from 2018 (111M)

*Includes flights from one foreign point to another foreign point (296,911 passengers in 2019)

Foreign airlines passengers in 2019

International to and from the U.S.: 126 million, up 1.2% from 2018 (125M)

Table 1A. Annual Passengers on U.S. Airlines and on Foreign Airlines' U.S. Flights 2018-2019

Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

This annual release includes data on U.S. airlines scheduled domestic and international service, including from one foreign point to another foreign point (296,911 passengers), and foreign carrier scheduled service to and from the U.S. BTS monthly air traffic releases include data on U.S. carrier scheduled service only.

Airlines with Most Passengers in 2019

Systemwide: Southwest Airlines (164M)
Domestic: Southwest (158M)
International: American Airlines (30M)
Foreign airline to and from the U.S.: British Airways (7M)

U.S. Airports with Most Passenger Boardings in 2019

Systemwide: Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International (53M)
Domestic: Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International (47M)
International: New York John F. Kennedy (17M)

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market (All Carriers)

* Foreign carriers do not report to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics on flights without a U.S. origin or destination

Load Factor and Capacity (load factor measures the use of capacity)

Systemwide (Domestic + International)

Revenue Passenger-Miles (RPMs), up 3.4% from 2018
Available Seat-Miles (ASMs), up 2.4%
Load Factor, up 0.8 points from 83.0 to 83.8

Domestic (to and from U.S. airports)

RPMs, up 4.4%
ASMs, up 3.7%
Load Factor, up 0.6 points from 84.5 to 85.1

International (to and from the U.S.)

RPMs, up 2.5%
ASMs, up 1.3%
Load Factor, up 1.0 points from 81.7 to 82.7

For annual airline and airport statistics, see the accompanying tables on the BTS website. Tables 1 through 4 provide combined domestic and international travel statistics, Tables 5 through 8 provide domestic travel statistics and Tables 9 through 12 provide international travel statistics.

Reporting Notes

Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial U.S. and foreign airlines detailing operations, passenger traffic and freight traffic. This release includes data received by BTS from 207 U.S. and foreign airlines as of March 3 for scheduled civilian operations.

See the BTS Airlines and Airports page for additional scheduled service numbers through December for U.S. airlines. International data by origin and destination is available through September.

Complete international data for the full year 2019 will be released on June 11.

None of the data are from samples so measures of statistical significance do not apply. Data in this press release are not seasonally adjusted.

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Number of Flights Worldwide in 2024: Passenger Traffic, Behaviors, and Revenue

Source: IATA 2021

The number of domestic and global airline flights worldwide is an estimated 22.2 million in 2021 (IATA, 2021). After a consistent upward trend until 2020, COVID-19 occurred and brought its 3.2% annual growth to a steep decline of 46.77% , as of February 2021 (OAG, 2021). This resulted in a net loss of $118.5 billion in 2020 and is expected to continue in 2021, which has a predicted $15.8 billion net loss by the end of the year (IATA, 2020).

2020 was the worst year in history in terms of air travel demand, with the rate for international travel dropping by 75.6% and domestic travel by 48.8% (IATA, 2021). Furthermore, the numbers are down across all metrics, from air traffic to bookings. A slight recovery is expected in 2021 but the outlook is still dim due to the persistence of COVID-19 globally.

This article looks into the airline industry’s number of flights and passengers, flight statistics, traveler demographics, and industry growth projections by looking into the following topics:

Number of Airline Flights Table of Contents

Number of airline flights in the world per day
Percentage of the world population that flies
Airlines with the most number of flights
Number of International airlines in the world
Airline with the most international flights
Airlines with the most canceled flights
Airline with the most delayed flights
Airline with the most on-time flights

Airline flight stats by country

Countries with the most number of flights.

Country that travels abroad the most

Traveler demographics and behaviors

Age group that flies the most
Gender and Flying

Airline Revenue

How many airline flights occurred in the world per day in 2021, how many airline flights per year.

The year 2020 had over 16 million global flights . Prior to COVID-19, the Federal Aviation Administration affirms its Air Traffic Organization (ATO) has handled 45,000 local flights a day or over 16,405,000 a year (FAA, 2020).

How many people fly each year worldwide?

The number of passengers who flew in and out of US airports was 2,900,000 (FAA, 2020) based on data from the FAA prior to the pandemic. Worldwide passenger numbers from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) place the number of people who flew annually at 4.5 billion .

What percentage of the world flies?

Dennis A. Muilenburg, former Boeing CEO, has claimed that only about 20% of the world’s population has traveled by air . This is roughly 1.5 billion people. For Americans , the results show 40% have never left the country while 13% have never flown on a plane (Forbes, 2019).

Percentage of People Who Have Never Flown

Source: OnePoll

Airlines with the most flights

With over 1,100 airlines and a market of over 7 billion potential flyers, only a limited number of airlines handle multiple flight legs and millions of passengers. In terms of fleet size and the number of passengers, American Airlines is number one (Flight Airline Business, 2020, Blue Swan Daily, 2019).

Source: Flight Airline Business

How many international airlines are there in the world?

The IATA and ICAO, leading groups in aviation and the airline industry, has assigned airline codes to over 5,000 airlines that offer local, regional, and international airlines. The actual number of commercial airlines total 1,126 . Europe has the highest number of commercial airlines while the Australasian and Pacific region has the smallest.

Source: IATA, ICAO

Airlines with the most international flights

There are 195 countries where people can travel to—flights come and go to these countries; international flights available from various global carriers. An unexpected airline, Turkish Airlines, earns the top spot operating flights to 62% of the world’s countries (Flight Delayed, 2019) . Its strategic location—a middle point for Europe, Asia, and Africa—allows it to service over 60 million passengers a year.

Source: Green Claim

Airlines with most canceled flights

Flight delays and cancellations are common occurrences in airports. Flight cancellations cost American commercial airlines $22 billion annually . The year 2001 saw the highest number of flight cancellations from major American carriers with 231,200 canceled flights. The lowest number of flight cancellations was in 2002 at 65,140.

These disruptions came after the 9/11 attacks; a time when airport check-ins and security saw an extensive overhaul and TSA patdowns and body searches became the norm. Cancellations for 2019 saw an increase of 5.74% with rates climbing back again since 2017. In January 2020, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics states domestic flight cancellations were at 1.3% , higher than December 2019 rates (1.1%) but 64.52% lower compared to January 2019 rates (3.15) (Bureau of Transportation, 2020).

According to a 2020 study by Colibra, there is an airline whose vast majority of flights result in cancellations. Air Arabia has the highest frequency of cancellations among all airline companies with a startling 91.63% (Colibra, 2020), followed by China Eastern Airlines (37.62%) and AOM French Airlines (32.35%).

Source: Colibra 2020

Airlines with the most delayed flights

Jin Air has the highest percentage of delayed flights at 85.48% (Colibra, 2020), which was followed by another South Korean budget airline Jeju Air with a percentage of 64.15%. Indonesia’s Lion Air came in third while fourth place belongs to Ethiopian Airlines.

Airline with most on-time flights

Data from OAG reveals that Hawaiian Airlines leads the pack in terms of punctuality with an on-time percentage of 87.40% (OAG, 2020). Delta Airlines comes in second with 83.56%, followed by Alaska Airlines and Spirit Airlines. Two of Delta’s competitors, American Airlines and United, takes the 8th and 9th spots, respectively.

Source: OAG 2020

The aviation industry was devastated by COVID-19 in 2020 and the succeeding year won’t likely exhibit a full recovery. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, at least 65 airline companies canceled all of their flights (Airsavvi, 2020). In addition, the number of flights worldwide decreased by 22.5 million compared to that of 2019 (IATA, 2020). The year-on-year flight frequency for nearly the entire 2020 was down and it extended to the beginning of 2021.

Source: OAG 2021

Worldwide passenger traffic sank across all regions worldwide in 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic (IATA, 2021). The hardest hit were the Middle East and the Asia Pacific regions but COVID-19 sent aviation industries in every continent reeling.

In 2021, the Asia Pacific region owns the biggest share of the global aviation industry at 38.64% (IATA, 2021). Europe comes in second as it has overtaken North America in terms of market share.

The US leads in number of passengers carried, 926.74 million , in 2019 (The Global Economy, 2019). China claims the second spot with more than 659 million passengers, followed by Ireland with over 170 million. International flights typically use an Airbus A380, which has a seating capacity of 868.

Source: TheGlobalEconomy.com 2019

The numbers can be confusing with stats claiming varied data about air travel in the US.

Although incomes are dropping and its middle-class is shrinking, the US remains a popular tourist destination and continues to be a tourist draw. Its biggest market is local–67.3% are intraregional travelers while the other 32.71% flew to other continents . Meanwhile, for US travelers, Mexico comes as the most popular international destination (Statista, 2020).

Source: Statista 2020

Which country goes abroad the most?

In 2019, Finland topped the list of countries whose people travel the most . The Northern European country averaged 7.5 trips per person per year . The US is in second place with 6.7 trips per person but leads in domestic trips with 6.5 trips per person; data corroborates intraregional traveler data in the previous section. All of the ten countries in the list are classified as First World with high living standards (World Atlas, 2019).

Source: WorldAtlas.com

Traveler preferences and attitudes have changed post-9/11 alongside sweeping technological advancements in the airline industry. General traveler satisfaction after a flight is steady at 75% for the last three years (2017 – 2019). The scores vary depending on location with Africa garnering the lowest passenger satisfaction score of 40%.

Source: IATA; IPSOS

Passenger satisfaction drivers include check-in—self-service or traditional, boarding, inflight entertainment, and border control and immigration, among others. The last of the aforementioned hovers at 62%–64% based on the results from 2017–2019 .

Source: IATA

What age group travels the most?

The general and widely held view is that Millenials and Gen-Z are the age groups that travel the most. Data from IATA’s Global Passenger Survey reveal three age groups who travel the most: Gen Y, Millenials, and Gen X . Of the three, Millenials or those in the 35–44 year-old range flies the most, internationally and domestically.

Traveler preferences based on gender

Business travel arrangements were primarily booked by women as stated in a 2018 study (Medium, 2018). Some of the interesting outcomes from the survey include: Women like to travel solo and they often do the bookings. In fact, 80% of travel decisions are made by women (Gutsy, 2019).

Female Preferences in Air Travel

Source: Access 2020, Gutsy 2019

Which gender travels more?

IATA’s study shows a 41.27% skew in favor of males when it comes to travel . Data for the last five years show that men travel three times more than women . The same ClosinGap study points out that although men travel more, women spend more during travel . Travel expenses are centered on hotels and tourist services. The study further notes that if women were to travel as much as men did, they would be able to generate 2.35 billion euros a year.

The IATA and ICAO report worldwide revenue based on passenger air traffic at $567 billion for 2019 . Market projections for 2020 were positive in the last quarter of 2019 with 40.3 million flights forecasted. This approximates to an expected $581 billion in revenue earnings for 2020.

Source: IATA; ICAO

Two leading airline groups are neck and neck in revenues earned for 2019: American Airlines with $44.54 billion and Delta Airlines with $44.44 billion . FedEx, at number five with $37.33 billion, does not fly passengers commercially but only deals in moving cargo.

Source: Flightglobal

Airline travel in the time of COVID-19

Major adjustments were seen in the market projections of airlines in recent weeks in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Major airlines scrambled to reshuffle and reschedule flights with multiple countries crossing their borders effectively shutting down travel. Business Insider reports over 50 airlines have scaled back operations or have temporarily shut down due to loss of demand for flights (Business Insider, 2020).

Countries With Completely Closed Borders Due To Covid-19

Key insights.

Impact of COVID-19: The pandemic caused a significant decline in air travel, with a 46.77% drop in flights in 2020 and an expected net loss of $118.5 billion in 2020, with a further $15.8 billion loss projected for 2021.
Recovery Expectations: A slight recovery is expected in 2021, but the outlook remains uncertain due to the ongoing global impact of COVID-19.
Flight Frequency: In 2021, the number of daily flights was around 151,435, still lower than pre-pandemic levels of 2019 which saw 106,849 flights per day.
Passenger Numbers: Prior to the pandemic, 4.5 billion passengers flew annually worldwide, with 2.9 million flying in and out of US airports daily.
Airline Performance: American Airlines led in terms of passengers carried, with over 215.2 million passengers, followed by Delta Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
International Flights: Turkish Airlines operates flights to the most countries, covering 62% of the world’s countries.
Flight Cancellations and Delays: Air Arabia had the highest flight cancellation rate at 91.63%, while Jin Air had the highest delay rate at 85.48%. Hawaiian Airlines had the most on-time flights at 87.4%.
Regional Market Share: In 2021, the Asia Pacific region held the largest share of the global aviation market at 38.64%.
Traveler Demographics: Millennials (ages 35-44) are the most frequent flyers. Men travel more frequently than women, although women make 80% of travel decisions.
Revenue Impact: Global airline revenue was $567 billion in 2019, with a projected revenue of $581 billion for 2020 before the pandemic impact.
How has COVID-19 affected the airline industry? COVID-19 caused a dramatic decline in air travel demand, with a 46.77% drop in flights in 2020. The industry experienced a net loss of $118.5 billion in 2020 and is projected to lose an additional $15.8 billion in 2021.
How many flights occur daily worldwide? As of February 2021, there are approximately 151,435 flights daily worldwide, down from 106,849 flights per day in 2019 before the pandemic.
Which airline carries the most passengers? American Airlines carries the most passengers, with over 215.2 million passengers annually.
Which airline flies to the most countries? Turkish Airlines flies to the most countries, covering 62% of the world’s countries.
Which airlines have the highest cancellation rates? Air Arabia has the highest cancellation rate at 91.63%, followed by China Eastern Airlines at 37.62%.
Which airlines experience the most delays? Jin Air has the highest delay rate at 85.48%, followed by Jeju Air at 64.15%.
Which airline has the most on-time flights? Hawaiian Airlines has the highest percentage of on-time flights at 87.4%.
What is the current market share of different regions in the aviation industry? The Asia Pacific region holds the largest share of the global aviation market at 38.64%, followed by Europe and North America.
What age group travels the most? Millennials, specifically those aged 35-44, are the most frequent travelers.
How much revenue did the global airline industry generate in 2019? The global airline industry generated $567 billion in revenue from passenger air traffic in 2019.
What are the top destinations for US travelers? The most popular international destinations for US travelers are Mexico, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Which country’s residents travel the most? Finland’s residents travel the most, averaging 7.5 trips per person per year.

References:

Airsavvi (2020). Flight suspension rate of global airlines due to COVID-19 as of March 23, 2020 . Retrieved from Statista
Bond, M. (2019, June 8). Women Travel Statistics from Women Travel Expert . Retrieved from Gutsy
Blijdenstein, J. (2019, January 16). Which airlines fly to the largest number of countries? . Retrieved from Flight Delayed
Blue Swan Daily (2019). Top Global Airlines in 2019, by Fleet Size . Retrieved from Statista
Buchholz, K. (2020, December 10). The Most Popular Destinations for U.S. Travelers Abroad . Retrieved from Statista
Colibra (2020, October 6). These are the airlines and airports with the most delays and cancellations, our new study reveals . Retrieved from Colibra
FAA (2020). Air Traffic By The Numbers . Retrieved from FAA
Flight Airline Business (2020, October). Leading airline groups worldwide in 2019, based on passengers . Retrieved from Statista
Flightradar24 (2021). Flight tracking statistics . Retrieved from Flightradar24
IATA (2020, November). Number of flights performed by the global airline industry from 2004 to 2021 . Retrieved from Statista
IATA (2020, November 24). IATA Annual General Meeting 2020: Deep Losses Continue Into 2021 . Retrieved from IATA
IATA (2021, February 3). 2020 Worst Year in History for Air Travel Demand . Retrieved from IATA
McCarthy, N. (2020, March 31). COVID-19: Unprecedented Decline In Air Traffic . Retrieved from Statista
Novakova, S. (2018, July 6). Why women book more trips than men do . Retrieved from Medium
OAG (2021). The Journey to Recovery Starts Here: How and When Will Aviation Recover From COVID-19? . Retrieved from OAG
OAG (2020). Punctuality League 2020 . Retrieved from OAG
Sheth, K. (2019, March 15). . Retrieved from World Atlas
The Global Economy (2019). Airline Passengers – Country Rankings . Retrieved from The Global Economy

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Allan Jay is FinancesOnline’s resident B2B expert with over a decade of experience in the SaaS space. He has worked with vendors primarily as a consultant in the UX analysis and design stages, lending to his reviews a strong user-centric angle. A management professional by training, he adds the business perspective to software development. He likes validating a product against workflows and business goals, two metrics, he believes, by which software is ultimately measured.

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Very extensive database. I have a query re. Ireland. The population is ~5M. So can it be one of the countries generating the most passengers? Could it be that Ryanair traffic for inter EU minus Ireland-EU is overstating Irish numbers? If yes, then to capture that traffic all Ryanair aircraft would have to be registered in Ireland i.e. the aircraft in each base outside Ireland would have to be on the Irish register.

The other question is the number of international airlines. This stat may be the total number of commercial airlines in the world. International airlines carry about 40% 0f all traffic with about 30% of the fleet. My hunch is that 80-90% of all commercial airlines operate domestic and international routes. Note that IATA has ~300 members and most of those would be in the international category. Some of the regional carriers could be international,but could be less than 20 or so. I hope this useful.

Very extensive database. I have a query re. Ireland. The population is ~5M. So can it be one of the countries generating the most passengers? Could it be that Ryanair traffic for inter EU minus Ireland-EU is overstate Irish numbers? If yes, then to capture that traffic all Ryanair aircraft would have to be registered in Ireland i.e. the aircraft in each base outside Ireland would have to be on the Irish register.

I was wondering what the definitions for “pre-COVID” and “post-COVID” in 2020 are? (1st chart “Number of Flights from 2004 to 2021”)

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Global air traffic - scheduled passengers 2004-2022

Airline passenger traffic

Reasons for growth, number of scheduled passengers boarded by the global airline industry from 2004 to 2022 (in millions).

Immediate access to 1m+ statistics
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Additional Information

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2004 to 2022

* This figure was taken from a previous edition which was released prior to the coronavirus outbreak and can be accessed here . ** Forecast Figures prior to 2019 were taken from previous reports. 2021 figure is estimated.

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Air Travel Consumer Report: March 2024 Numbers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today released its Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline operational data compiled for the month of March 2024 for on-time performance, mishandled baggage, mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, and 1st quarter oversales. The ATCR is designed to assist consumers with information on the quality of services provided by airlines.

For March 2024, 0.9% of flights were cancelled, lower than the 1.3% cancellation rate for March 2023 and the 2.0% cancellation rate for pre-pandemic March 2019.

DOT expects that airlines will operate flights as scheduled and that when they do not, airlines will provide consumers the services promised when a flight is cancelled or delayed because of an airline issue. After a two-year DOT push to improve the passenger experience, the 10 largest airlines now guarantee meals and free rebooking on the same airline and nine guarantee hotel accommodations. Consumer-friendly information regarding airline commitments to their customers is available on the Department’s Airline Customer Service Dashboard at FlightRights.Gov . DOT also pushed airlines to provide fee-free family seating and rolled out a new family seating dashboard that highlights the airlines that guarantee fee-free family seating, and those of the 10 largest that do not, making it easier for parents to avoid paying junk fees to sit with their children when they fly.

DOT recently announced two final rules that require airlines to provide automatic cash refunds to passengers when owed and protect consumers from costly surprise airline fees . These rules will significantly expand consumer protections in air travel, provide passengers an easier pathway to refunds when owed, and save consumers more than half a billion dollars every year in hidden and surprise junk fees. Provisions of the final rule on airline refunds were fortified through the FAA reauthorization bill that President Biden signed into law on May 16, 2024.

In addition, DOT is improving transportation for individuals with disabilities. In July 2023, DOT finalized a rule which requires airlines to make lavatories on new, single-aisle aircraft more accessible. Then, in February 2024, DOT issued a proposal to address other barriers that Americans who use a wheelchair encounter when it comes to air travel by, among other things, proposing to mandate enhanced training for airline employees and contractors who physically assist passenger with disabilities and handle passengers’ wheelchairs.

Further, when necessary, DOT takes enforcement action against airlines and ticket agents that fail to comply with the Department’s aviation consumer protection requirements. In 2023, DOT issued the largest fines in the history of the consumer protection office. This includes a $140 million penalty against Southwest Airlines for failing passengers during the 2022 holiday meltdown. That penalty, which was in addition to over $600 million DOT already ensured was refunded by Southwest to passengers, requires Southwest to establish a $90 million compensation system for passengers affected by significant delays and cancellations beginning April 30, 2024. Additionally, DOT has helped return nearly $4 billion in refunds to travelers since the pandemic began.

In April, DOT announced the launch of the bipartisan Airline Passenger Protection Partnership with 18 state attorneys general to investigate airlines and ticket agents and hold them accountable when they violate aviation consumer protection laws. The partnership significantly expands the Department’s oversight capacity by establishing a new fast-track system prioritizing misconduct cases from state attorneys general who uncover unfair or deceptive airline practices. Through the partnership, DOT will provide state attorneys general with access to the federal complaint database and help ensure that airlines cooperate with state investigations.

Flight Operations

The 623,409 flights operated in March 2024 were 102.47% of the 608,387 flights operated in March 2023. Operated flights in March 2024 were up 2.47% year-over-year from the 608,387 flights operated in March 2023 and up 13.46% month-over-month from 549,439 flights operated in February 2024.

"U.S. Airlines Operated Domestic Flights: March 2022-MArch 2024. Operated=Scheduled - Canceled"

In March 2024, the 10 marketing network carriers reported 628,786 scheduled domestic flights, 5,377 (0.9%) of which were cancelled. In February 2024, airlines scheduled 552,691 domestic flights, 3,252 (0.6%) of which were cancelled. In March 2023, airlines scheduled 616,234 domestic flights, 7,847 (1.3%) of which were cancelled.

March 2024 On-Time Arrival

In March 2024, reporting marketing carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 78.7%, down from 83.7% in February 2024 and up from 75.4% in March 2023. The year-to-date on-time arrival rate for 2024 is 78.3%.

Highest Marketing Carrier On-Time Arrival Rates March 2024 (ATCR Table 1)

Hawaiian Airlines – 87.2%
Delta Air Lines Network – 84.8%
United Airlines Network – 81.8%

Lowest Marketing Carrier On-Time Arrival Rates March 2024 (ATCR Table 1)

Frontier Airlines – 66.4%
JetBlue Airways – 68.4%
Spirit Airlines – 69.6%

For the first three months of 2024, the reporting marketing carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 78.31% up from 76.89% for the same period in 2023.

March 2024 Flight Cancellations

In March 2024, reporting marketing carriers cancelled 0.9% of their scheduled domestic flights, higher than the rate of 0.6% in February 2024 and lower than the rate of 1.3% in March 2023. The year-to-date cancellation rate for 2024 is 1.7%.

Lowest Marketing Carrier Rates of Cancelled Flights March 2024 (ATCR Table 6)

Delta Air Lines Network – 0.2%
Hawaiian Airlines – 0.6%
Allegiant Air – 0.6%

Highest Marketing Carrier Rates of Cancelled Flights March 2024 (ATCR Table 6)

Frontier Airlines – 2.7%
Spirit Airlines – 1.7%
JetBlue Airways – 1.4%

For the first three months of 2024, the reporting marketing carriers posted a cancellation rate of 1.7%, equal to 1.7% for the same period in 2023.

Complaints About Airline Service

The release of air travel service complaint data in the Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) has been delayed primarily because of the continued high volume of complaints against airlines and ticket agents received by the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) and the time needed to review and process these consumer complaints. The Department is investing in modernizing its system for handling consumer complaints with the support of a Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) investment to improve the customer experience for the tens of thousands of consumers who use the system each year and enable OACP to more effectively engage in oversight of the airline industry.

As DOT modernizes its system, given the continued high volume of air travel service complaints concerning airlines and ticket agents, DOT has revised how it processes consumer complaints received after June 1, 2023. From June 2023 until the date its system is modernized, DOT intends to revise the ATCR to display consumer submissions (complaints, inquiries, and opinions) as opposed to complaints for this period. The Department will continue to display civil rights complaints in the ATCR in a similar manner as before and anticipates publishing submission and civil rights complaint numbers for June 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023 in June 2024.

Tarmac Delays

In March 2024, airlines reported six tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights, compared to 10 tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights reported in February 2024. In March 2024, airlines reported one tarmac delay of more than four hours on an international flight, compared to two tarmac delays of more than four hours on international flights reported in February 2024.

Airlines are required to have and adhere to assurances that they will not allow aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours for domestic flights and four hours for international flights without providing passengers the option to deplane, subject to exceptions related to safety, security, and Air Traffic Control related reasons. An exception also exists for departure delays if the airline begins to return the aircraft to a suitable disembarkation point to deplane passengers by those times.

The Department investigates extended tarmac delays.

Mishandled Baggage

In March 2024, reporting marketing carriers handled 43.1 million bags and posted a mishandled baggage rate of 0.52%, higher than the rate of 0.48% in February 2024, but lower than the rate of 0.58% in March 2023.

For the first quarter of 2024, the carriers posted a mishandled baggage rate of 0.58%, lower than the first quarter 2023 rate of 0.64%.

The Department began displaying the mishandled baggage data as a percentage (i.e., per 100 bags enplaned) in January 2022. This is consistent with the manner that the mishandled wheelchairs and scooters rate is calculated and displayed. In the prior three calendar year reports (2019 to 2021), the Department calculated the mishandled baggage rate based on the number of mishandled bags per 1,000 checked bags.

Mishandled Wheelchairs and Scooters

In March 2024, reporting marketing carriers reported checking 65,793 wheelchairs and scooters and mishandling 859 for a rate of 1.31% mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, higher than the rate of 1.30% mishandled in February 2024 and lower than the rate of 1.33% mishandled in March 2023.

For the first quarter of 2024, the carriers posted a mishandled wheelchair and scooter rate of 1.36%, lower than the rate of 1.40% in the first quarter of 2023.

To address many of the significant barriers and challenges experienced by passengers who use wheelchairs, the Department has proposed a rulemaking that, if adopted as proposed would make it an automatic violation of the Department’s Air Carrier Access Act regulations for airlines to mishandle a passenger’s wheelchair. This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would also enhance training requirements for airline personnel who provide hands-on transfer assistance to passengers and handle wheelchairs. The proposal is available at https://www.regulations.gov , docket number DOT-OST-2022-0144.

Bumping/Oversales

Bumping/oversales data, unlike other air carrier data, are reported quarterly rather than monthly. For the first quarter of 2024, the 10 U.S. reporting marketing carriers posted an involuntary denied boarding, or bumping, rate of 0.27 per 10,000 passengers, lower than both the rate of 0.29 in the first quarter of 2023 and higher than the rate of 0.20 in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Incidents Involving Animals

As part of its IT modernization, DOT’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) is improving the options for covered carriers to submit their monthly and annual Reports on Incidents Involving Animals During Air Transport. While the new system is being developed, OACP is permitting covered carriers to delay submission of reports on incidents involving animals during air transport. Annual data on such incidents will be published when DOT receives carriers’ complete submissions of the 2023 data.

In March 2024, carriers reported zero incidents involving the death, injury, or loss of an animal while traveling by air, down from the two reports filed in February 2024, and equal to the zero reports filed in March 2023.

Consumers may file air travel consumer or civil rights complaints online at https://secure.dot.gov/air-travel-complaint , or they may mail a complaint to the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, U.S. Department of Transportation, C-70, W96-432, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590.

The ATCR and other aviation consumer matters of interest to the public can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer .

US screens record 2.95 million airline passengers in single day

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it screened 2.95 million airline passengers on Friday, the highest number ever on a single day.

The record travel coincides with the Memorial Day weekend that marks the beginning of the U.S. summer travel season. Last week, a group representing major U.S. airlines forecast record summer travel with airlines expected to transport 271 million passengers, up 6.3% from last year.

The TSA said Friday's travel broke a record set in November of nearly 2.91 million air passengers screened. Five of the 10 busiest ever travel days have been since May 16, the agency said.

Airlines for America said U.S carriers plan to fly more than 26,000 daily flights this summer, up nearly 1,400 over 2023, or 5.6%, when they carried 255 million passengers. The summer travel season forecast is for June 1 to Aug. 31.

American Airlines said it will boost flights by 10% this summer expects 10% higher passengers over the May 23-May 28 Memorial Day travel period -- nearly 3.9 million passengers on 36,000 flights.

United Airlines is forecasting it will handle 3 million travelers during the Memorial Day travel period, up nearly 10% and its highest number ever during the period.

Delta Air Lines said it expects a 5% jump in Memorial Day weekend customers to nearly 3 million customers between May 23-27.

The forecast comes as the Federal Aviation Administration is struggling to address a persistent shortage of air traffic controllers. Some airlines voluntarily trimmed New York flights last summer to address congestion issues and have raised new concerns about the lack of controllers.

Airlines can lose their takeoff and landing slots at congested airports if they do not use them enough.

The FAA extended cuts to these minimum flight requirements at New York City-area airports through October because of staffing issues, and major airlines last month asked for those cuts to be extended through October 2025.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Jane Merriman)

Newark Liberty International Airport, May 24, 2024. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

U.S. screens record 2.95 million airline passengers in single day

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it screened 2.95 million airline passengers on Friday, the highest number ever on a single day.

The TSA said Friday’s travel broke a record set in November of nearly 2.91 million air passengers screened. Five of the 10 busiest ever travel days have been since May 16, the agency said.

American Airlines said it will boost flights by 10% this summer expects 10% higher passengers over the May 23-May 28 Memorial Day travel period -- nearly 3.9 million passengers on 36,000 flights.

United Airlines is forecasting it will handle 3 million travelers during the Memorial Day travel period, up nearly 10% and its highest number ever during the period.

Delta Air Lines said it expects a 5% jump in Memorial Day weekend customers to nearly 3 million customers between May 23-27.

Airlines can lose their takeoff and landing slots at congested airports if they do not use them enough.

Today in Energy

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Increased air travel is beginning to increase U.S. jet fuel consumption

In recent weeks, the number of air travel passengers has increased in the United States, which may indicate a corresponding near-term increase in jet fuel demand. Jet fuel demand has been at historic lows since April 2020. According to EIA’s Weekly Petroleum Status Report (WPSR), the four-week average consumption of jet fuel from April 9, 2021, through the most recent data (as of April 23, 2021) was more than 1.2 million barrels per day (b/d). This level of consumption was nearly 200,000 b/d higher than the four-week average that ended on March 26, 2021. To calculate jet fuel consumption, we use product supplied as a proxy for consumption.

U.S. jet fuel consumption decreased in 2020 because of global travel limitations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in significantly less air travel demand in 2020 compared with the shorter and smaller decrease following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. In March 2021, the number of passengers processed by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) averaged 1.2 million per day, the most in any month since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. In April 2020, air travel substantially declined in the United States, and TSA passenger numbers fell to 100,000 passengers per day. By April 2021, TSA passenger numbers had increased to an average of 1.4 million per day (as of April 26).

TSA tracks and publishes the number of passengers that move through TSA airport checkpoints daily. In February 2020, before responses to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in substantial reductions in air travel, TSA processed an average of 2.2 million air passengers per day. TSA passenger numbers increased gradually but remained below 900,000 passengers per day on a monthly average basis until March 2021.

Tags: consumption/demand , liquid fuels , jet fuel , air transportation

Watch CBS News

TSA sets new record for number of travelers screened in a single day

By Lucia Suarez Sang

Updated on: May 25, 2024 / 8:10 PM EDT / CBS News

The Transportation Security Administration announced it screened more than 2.95 million airline passengers on Friday, setting a new record for a single day.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the agency said Saturday that it screened 2,951,163 individuals at airport checkpoints nationwide on Friday, surpassing the previous record of 2,907,378 set on the Sunday after Thanksgiving last year.

"If you flew yesterday, congratulations, you were part of a record-setting day!" said Lisa Farbstein, a spokesperson for the TSA, in a separate post.

Ahead of the start of Memorial Day weekend, the TSA predicted that Friday would be the busiest day for air travel, with nearly 3 million people expected to pass through airport checkpoints.

TSA screened just under 2.9 million people Thursday, coming within about 11,000 from the previous record. Five of the 10 busiest-ever travel days have been since May 16, the agency said.

Memorial Day weekend travel is also expected to break records on the roads.

The American Automobile Association, or AAA, warned of potentially unprecedented congestion on roads this weekend, along with airports that could be even more crowded than in years past. The organization, which looks at various economic factors and partners with other groups to project travel conditions, announced earlier this month that an estimated 43.8 million people across the United States would likely travel at least 50 miles from Thursday to Monday. That would mark a 4% increase in overall travel compared with 2023, according to AAA.

"We haven't seen Memorial Day weekend travel numbers like these in almost 20 years," said Paula Twidale, the senior vice president of the travel division at AAA, in a statement. "We're projecting an additional one million travelers this holiday weekend compared to 2019, which not only means we're exceeding pre-pandemic levels but also signals a very busy summer travel season ahead."

Emily Mae Czachor also contributed to this report.

Lucia Suarez Sang is an associate managing editor at CBSNews.com. Previously, Lucia was the director of digital content at FOX61 News in Connecticut and has previously written for outlets including FoxNews.com, Fox News Latino and the Rutland Herald.

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US airports see their busiest travel day ever in runup to Memorial Day

Most records for tsa’s top-highest volume days are set in july. a survey from aaa found more americans plan to take a vacation over the summer than during any other season. popular destinations are beaches, major cities and national parks..

A look at what travelers should watch out for when flying the friendly skies for Memorial Day

Around 44 million Americans will travel either on the ground or via air for the Memorial Day weekend. Aviation expert Kathleen Bangs breaks down what to expect during the busy travel period.

A record 2.95 million people passed through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints on Friday, during Memorial Day weekend, setting a new U.S. record for the most screenings in a single day.

The TSA reported that five of the top ten all-time travel days occurred around the Memorial Day weekend, leaving just two dates on the big board associated with either Christmas or Thanksgiving Day travel .

Airports around the country reported beating their previous records, including Atlanta ’s Hartfield-Jackson International Airport, which reported 111,000 people passed through security checkpoints, beating the greatest count set during Super Bowl LIII in 2019.

"Holiday travel periods are always somewhat hectic, but our officers remain focused on their mission, and they continue to do so in an efficient and courteous manner to ensure that travelers get to their destinations safely," Robin Burke, TSA director at Richmond International Airport, said in a statement.

WHAT ARE THE BUSIEST TRAVEL DAYS OF THE YEAR

The country’s previous busiest travel date was the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2023, with an estimated 2,908,785 screenings.

A survey from AAA found more Americans plan to take a vacation over the summer than during any other season in 2024.

Popular destinations include beaches, national parks and international cities.

A record 4.7 billion people are expected to travel around the world in 2024, but many of the busiest days are expected to fall outside of what is traditionally considered the winter holiday travel season.

HOW THUNDERSTORMS HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY CAN WREAK HAVOC ON AIR TRAVEL

The TSA recommends passengers arrive at the airport at least two hours before a domestic flight and three hours prior to any international excursions.

In March, the agency announced the expansion of its PreCheck program , which allows select fliers to use its expedited screening process at more than 200 airports.

Security officials estimate 99% of passengers enrolled in the PreCheck program wait less than 10 minutes at airport checkpoints.

"The most important things that travelers can do is to get to the airport early and come prepared to go through the checkpoint screening process," Burke stated.

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Friday’s preholiday travel breaks the record for the most airline travelers screened at US airports

Travelers move through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport ahead of Memorial Day, Friday, May 24, 2024, in Atlanta.(AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Travelers walk through Salt Lake City International Airport Friday, May 24, 2024, in Salt Lake City. A record number of Americans are expected to travel over the 2024 Memorial Day holiday. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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ATLANTA (AP) — A record was broken ahead of the Memorial Day weekend for the number of airline travelers screened at U.S. airports, the Transportation Security Administration said Saturday.

More than 2.9 million travelers were screened at U.S. airports on Friday, surpassing a previous record set last year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, according to the transportation security agency.

“Officers have set a new record for most travelers screened in a single day!” the TSA tweeted. “We recommend arriving early.”

The third busiest day on record was set on Thursday when just under 2.9 million travelers were screened at U.S. airports.

Memorial Day Weekend

The history: 5 things to know about the holiday , including its evolution and controversies
Travel: Crowds and high prices met travelers on the busiest day of the holiday weekend
On the menu: Try this recipe for smoky chicken wings or for something lighter, update these classic side dishes
What’s open? Check this list of stores and more before you head out
Now playing: Here are the movies coming to the box office this weekend and beyond

In Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport had its busiest day ever. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport broke a traffic record on Thursday when 111,000 passengers, airlines crew and airport employees were screened at security checkpoints. The second busiest day followed on Friday when 109,960 people were screened, according to the TSA.

With 104.6 million passengers, the Atlanta airport was the busiest in the world last year, according to Airports Council International.

U.S. airlines expect to carry a record number of passengers this summer. Their trade group estimates that 271 million travelers will fly between June 1 and August 31, breaking the record of 255 million set last summer .

AAA predicted this will be the busiest start-of-summer weekend in nearly 20 years, with 43.8 million people expected to roam at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and Monday — 38 million of them taking vehicles.

The annual expression of wanderlust that accompanies the start of the summer travel season is happening at a time when Americans tell pollsters they are worried about the economy and the direction of the country.

In what had long been celebrated every May 30 to honor America’s fallen soldiers, Memorial Day officially became a federal holiday in 1971, observed on the last Monday in May.

Jason Redman, a retired Navy SEAL who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, told The Associated Press last year that he honors the friends he’s lost. Thirty names are tattooed on his arm “for every guy that I personally knew that died.”

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TSA is prepared for the expected increase in summer travel from JFK and LaGuardia Airports

NEW YORK -- As Memorial Day Weekend approaches, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is prepared to handle an increase in the number of travelers who will be flying out of JFK International and LaGuardia airports as well as and airports nationwide.

For the first time ever, TSA will likely be screening more than 3 million passengers nationwide in a single day at some point this summer. We have already recorded four top 10 busiest days this month, with this Thursday and Friday before Memorial Day expected to see more than 2.9 individuals screened at checkpoints across the nation.

“Here at LaGuardia Airport, we expect to see an increase of about 10 percent more travelers per day for Memorial Day Weekend than we see in an average weekend,” said Robert Duffy, TSA’s Federal Security Director for LaGuardia Airport. “The most important things that travelers can do is to get to the airport early and come prepared to go through the checkpoint screening process.”

At John F. Kennedy International Airport, TSA expects to screen approximately 12,000 more travelers per day for Memorial Day weekend than during a typical weekend, according to John Essig, TSA’s Federal Security Director for JFK International Airport. This is an 11.5 percent increase in checkpoint throughput from 2023. “We encourage travelers to know the contents of their carry-on bags to ensure that there is nothing prohibited inside that will require a bag to be pulled aside, opened and inspected. Knowing the items inside a carry-in bag before you leave for the airport will help ensure a smooth transition through our checkpoints,” Essig said.

TSA continues to deploy new technologies at checkpoints to enhance security, which is why it is important for travelers to listen to and follow the guidance offered by TSA officers. TSA continues to upgrade all of its primary screening technologies for identity verification and carry-on bag screening. These critical technology investments improve security effectiveness; increase security efficiency; and enhance the passenger experience. These technologies include computed tomography (CT) and credential authentication technology (CAT or CAT-2). The CT units provide a 3D image of the contents of carry-on bags at checkpoints. The CAT units scan a traveler’s photo identification, confirm the traveler’s identity as well as their flight details. The new generation of CAT units, referred to as CAT-2, have the same capabilities, but are also equipped with a camera that captures a real-time photo of the traveler. CAT-2 compares the traveler’s photo on the ID against the in-person, real-time photo. Once the CAT-2 confirms the match, a security officer verifies and the traveler can proceed through the checkpoint, without ever exchanging a boarding pass. The photo is then deleted. Travelers who do not wish to participate in the facial matching process can opt out in favor of an alternative identity verification process.

TSA officers are on hand to offer guidance to travelers as they pass through the checkpoint. (TSA photo)

TSA asks that the travelling public do their part in efficient checkpoint screening by arriving to the airport two hours prior to their scheduled flight departure and know what they can – and cannot pack – in their carry-on luggage.

TSA reminds passengers to always know the contents of their carry-on bag prior to coming to the security checkpoint. TSA has multiple resources available to passengers to help them determine whether an item is permitted in carry-on baggage, checked baggage, either or neither. Travelers can use the “ Can I Bring?” feature on the TSA website or on the free downloadable myTSA app . Travelers can also tweet to @AskTSA or send a text message (275-872) if they have a travel question or are unsure if an item is allowed through security in a carry-on bag. Just snap a picture or send a question and get real-time assistance.

Individuals who are planning to travel this summer should consider enrolling in TSA PreCheck ®. The popular expedited screening program allows travelers to leave on their shoes, jackets, belts and enables them to keep their electronics and 3-1-1 bags in their carry-on bags. Teenagers aged 13-17 may accompany their TSA PreCheck-enrolled parents or guardians through TSA PreCheck screening when traveling on the same reservation and when the TSA PreCheck indicator appears on the teen’s boarding pass. Children 12 and under may still accompany an enrolled parent or guardian when traveling through the TSA PreCheck lanes anytime without restriction.

This summer is also the ideal time to get a REAL ID drivers license. We are one year out from the REAL ID deadline. Beginning May 7, 2025, if you plan to use your state-issued ID or license to fly within the U.S., make sure it is REAL ID compliant.

Travelers should also keep these tips in mind while traveling:

Do not attempt to bring a firearm through a TSA checkpoint; doing so compromises the safety and security of other passengers and our officers in the checkpoint. Passengers who do attempt to bring a firearm through a checkpoint can expect to receive a civil penalty (fines may be as high as $15,000) and lose eligibility for TSA PreCheck. Additionally, local law enforcement will be called and because these passengers may present additional risk beyond the firearm, they will receive enhanced screening.
Get to the airport early. Travelers should arrive a minimum of two hours before their scheduled domestic flights and three hours before scheduled international flights. Roadways near airports are going to be crowded. It is going to take longer to locate an available parking space at the airport. Airline check-in counters will be busy. This is all before you even get to the security checkpoint. If you find yourself waiting in a security checkpoint lane, use that time to your advantage. That’s the ideal time to remove items from your pockets and place them into a carry-on bag. It’s also the time to get out your ID and boarding pass so you’re not fumbling in your wallet for your ID when you step up to the TSA travel document checking podium.
Know before you go. Travelers need to know what can and cannot go in their carry-on bag, from firearms to oversize liquids. Passengers will spend more time in the security checkpoint if their carry-on items trigger an alarm because it results in TSA’s need to resolve the alarm by opening the carry-on bag to determine what triggered the alarm. Use TSA’s tools for your resources. TSA offers several ways for travelers to find out if an item is permitted in a carry-on bag, checked bag, either or neither and TSA has just launched a new higher level of assistance for travelers with questions about airport security screening procedures. Airline passengers may now send a text message using any mobile device to “AskTSA” (275-872). A virtual assistant is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For more complicated questions, @AskTSA staff are available daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Twitter and on Facebook Messenger. The TSA web site has a feature on the homepage called “What can I bring?” Type in the name of the item and it will let you know if it should be packed in a checked bag or carry-on bag. The same handy feature is available on the free downloadable MyTSA app . The MyTSA app gives users 24/7 access to the most frequently requested airport security information on any mobile device, including a searchable database that will let you know whether an item can be packed in a carry-on bag, checked bag, either or neither. The app also identifies delay information and current weather conditions at your favorite airports nationwide.
Bring an acceptable ID. Before heading to the airport, travelers should make sure they have acceptable identification . And remember, the REAL ID deadline is less than a year away.
Request passenger support Travelers or families of passengers with disabilities and/or medical conditions may call the TSA Cares helpline toll free at 855-787-2227 at least 72 hours prior to travel with any questions about screening procedures and to find out what to expect at the security checkpoint. TSA Cares also arranges assistance at the checkpoint for travelers with specific needs.
Never leave a suitcase, roller bag, laptop bag, shopping bag, backpack or any other item unattended. And if you come across an unattended item, please alert an airport official. If you See Something, Say Something®.

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U.S. screens record 2.95 million airline passengers in a day

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Travellers arrive to the Newark Liberty International Airport during the Memorial Day weekend in Newark

Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Jane Merriman

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Former U.S. President Trump's criminal trial on charges of falsifying business records continues in New York

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Donald Trump's foreign allies, from Hungary's Viktor Orban to Britain's Nigel Farage, rallied to his defence saying his trial was politically motivated, while others reacted cautiously, aware they may have to work with him as president again soon.

IMAGES

2021 global air passenger totals show improvement from 2020, but still
2021 global air passenger totals show improvement from 2020, but still
Annual Passengers on All U.S. Scheduled Airline Flights (Domestic
Passengers on All 2020 U.S.-Based Flights Down 62% from 2019
Top 20 Countries Air Passengers Carried 1970- 2018
CHART OF THE DAY: Airline passenger volume rising

VIDEO

2021 Global Passenger Survey Results
1960s Air Travel, Passengers Board Plane
Holiday air travel by the numbers in the US
Air Travel Passengers by Countries #short #viral #trending
Things Found by Airport Security! #1

COMMENTS

Travel Numbers
TSA checkpoint travel numbers (current year versus prior year/same weekday) Passenger travel numbers are updated Monday through Friday by 9 a.m. Travel numbers during holiday weeks though may be slightly delayed. Date 2024 2023; 5/28/2024 : 2,555,317 : 2,349,003 : 5/27/2024 ...
Air Traffic By The Numbers
Air Traffic By The Numbers. Every day, FAA 's Air Traffic Organization ( ATO) provides service to more than 45,000 flights and 2.9 million airline passengers across more than 29 million square miles of airspace. With an airspace system as vast and complex as ours, it is helpful to have an easy-to-reference source for relevant facts and information.
Full Year 2022 U.S. Airline Traffic Data
For the full year 2022, January through December, U.S. airlines carried 853 million passengers (unadjusted), up from 658 million in 2021 and 388 million in 2020. Annual: Systemwide enplanements (853 million) were down 8% from the all-time annual high (928M) reached in 2019. Domestic enplanements (751M) were down 8% from the all-time annual high ...
How Many People Fly Per Day: A Detailed Look At Air Travel Statistics
The Future of Air Travel: Where Things May Be Headed Continued Overall Growth Projected. The future of air travel is expected to see continued overall growth in the number of people flying per day. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the number of air passengers is projected to double by 2037.
Air Travel Statistics 2023
For context, the average daily capacity over the year was 16,582,222, making this peak summer day 12% busier than the average travel day. Conversely, the quietest day to travel by air is the third Saturday of the year, at least based on 2023's data. 13,967,001 seats operated on January 21st, making the day 16% less busy than the average for ...
When America Flies: FAA Air Traffic By The Numbers
Every day, 2.9 million people fly over American airspace and are carried by over 45,000 aircraft. Over 2.9 million airline passengers daily, a population the size of Kansas and Mississippi combined. 10,000,000 scheduled passenger flights handled by FAA yearly, an impressive 16 million flights in total. 167,000+ general aviation aircraft in the ...
World air passenger traffic evolution, 1980-2020
World air passenger traffic evolution, 1980-2020. Billion passengers. IEA. Licence: CC BY 4.0. International Civil Aviation Organization (2020). ICAO Economic Impact Analysis of COVID-19 on Civil Aviation. a) Historical figures are subject to revision and estimates for 2020 will be updated with the evolving situation; and b) For latest update ...
Full-Year 2021 and December 2021 U.S. Airline Traffic Data
BTS 12-22 U.S. airlines carried 674 million passengers (not seasonally adjusted) in 2021, 82.5% more than in 2020 (369 million, unadjusted). U.S. airline passenger enplanements in 2021 remained 27.3% below pre-pandemic 2019's 927 million (unadjusted). System-wide 2021 enplanements comprised 612 million passengers on domestic flights and 62 million passengers on international flights ...
2019 Traffic Data for U.S. Airlines and Foreign Airlines U.S. Flights
U.S. airlines and foreign airlines serving the U.S. carried an all-time high of 1.1 billion systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in 2019, 3.9% more than the previous annual record high of 1.0 billion reached in 2018.Systemwide: 1,053 million passengers, up 3.9% from 2018 (1,014M)Domestic: 811 million passengers, up 4.3% from 2018 (778M)International: 241 million ...
IATA
Geneva - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects overall traveler numbers to reach 4.0 billion in 2024 (counting multi-sector connecting trips as one passenger), exceeding pre-COVID-19 levels (103% of the 2019 total). Expectations for the shape of the near-term recovery have shifted slightly, reflecting the evolution of ...
Air transport, passengers carried
Air transport, passengers carried from The World Bank: Data. Free and open access to global development data. Data. This page in: ... Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide. Railways, goods transported (million ton-km) Container port traffic (TEU: 20 foot equivalent units)
Number of Flights Worldwide in 2024: Passenger Traffic, Behaviors, and
2020 was the worst year in history in terms of air travel demand, with the rate for international travel dropping by 75.6% and domestic travel by 48.8% (IATA, 2021). Furthermore, the numbers are down across all metrics, from air traffic to bookings. ... still lower than pre-pandemic levels of 2019 which saw 106,849 flights per day. Passenger ...
Air Passenger Market Analysis
Air passenger market in detail - January 2024. threshold. Industry seat capacity rose consistently with passenger numbers. Available seat-kilometers (ASKs), saw 14.1% annual growth and reached 99.5% of pre-pandemic levels, as a result passenger load factor (PLF) was 1.7 and 0.1 percentage points (ppt) above the same month's level in 2023 and ...
PDF Microsoft Word
Below are selected results for FY2022. The number of air traffic controllers decreased by 1.1 percent, to 13,693 (in Section 1). The number of pilot certificates increased by 5 percent in CY2022 to 756,927; and remote (or drone) pilot certificates increased by 19.5 percent, to 304,256 (Section 1).
Total air traffic passengers traveling to/from the U.S. 2022
Total number of air traffic passengers traveling to or from the United States from 2006 to 2022 (in million passengers) [Graph], Federal Aviation Administration, June 28, 2022. [Online].
Passenger airlines in the U.S.
Total number of air traffic passengers traveling to or from the United States from 2006 to 2022 (in million passengers) Basic Statistic U.S. airlines - domestic passenger enplanements 2004-2023
Airline industry
Net profit per passenger transported by airlines worldwide 2005-2022; Air passengers annual growth rate in China 2014-2020; Share of passengers of Norwegian Air Shuttle 2016, by country
Air Travel Consumer Report: March 2024 Numbers
In March 2024, reporting marketing carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 78.7%, down from 83.7% in February 2024 and up from 75.4% in March 2023. The year-to-date on-time arrival rate for 2024 is 78.3%. Highest Marketing Carrier On-Time Arrival Rates March 2024 (ATCR Table 1) Hawaiian Airlines - 87.2%. Delta Air Lines Network - 84.8%.
US screens record 2.95 million airline passengers in single day
The TSA said Friday's travel broke a record set in November of nearly 2.91 million air passengers screened. Five of the 10 busiest ever travel days have been since May 16, the agency said.
U.S. screens record 2.95 million airline passengers in single day
The TSA said Friday's travel broke a record set in November of nearly 2.91 million air passengers screened. Five of the 10 busiest ever travel days have been since May 16, the agency said.
Increased air travel is beginning to increase U.S. jet fuel consumption
In March 2021, the number of passengers processed by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) averaged 1.2 million per day, the most in any month since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. In April 2020, air travel substantially declined in the United States, and TSA passenger numbers fell to 100,000 passengers per day.
US airlines prepare to fly 2.8 million passengers a day over the long
American Airlines, the country's largest carrier, expects Friday, December 22, to be its busiest of a 19-day-long holiday travel period that begins Wednesday, December 20. In all, the airline ...
TSA sets new record for number of travelers screened in a single day
TSA sets single-day record for number of travelers screened 00:21. The Transportation Security Administration announced it screened more than 2.95 million airline passengers on Friday, setting a ...
U.S. screens record 2.95 million airline passengers in single day
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it screened 2.95 million airline passengers on Friday, the highest number ever on a single day. The record travel coincides with the ...
US airports see their busiest travel day ever
Download the FOX Weather App. The TSA screened more passengers at U.S. airports on Friday, May 24 than on any other day. More than 2.95 million people passed through its checkpoints. The number surpasses the previous record set in 2023 around Thanksgiving.
Memorial Day 2024: Travelers see flight delays and higher prices
10. By DAVID KOENIG. Updated 3:40 PM PDT, May 24, 2024. Travelers contended with big crowds and flight delays Friday, which was expected to be the busiest day of the Memorial Day weekend. More than 6,000 U.S. flights were delayed by early evening on the East Coast, continuing a trend that has tested the patience of travelers all week.
TSA at Richmond International Airport screens most passengers ever in a
The high checkpoint throughput was part of the busy Memorial Day Weekend travel period. ... Airline passengers may now send a text message using any mobile device to "AskTSA" (275-872). A virtual assistant is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For more complicated questions, @AskTSA staff are available daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on ...
Pre-Memorial Day travel breaks record for passengers screened at US
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport broke a traffic record on Thursday when 111,000 passengers, airlines crew and airport employees were screened at security checkpoints. The second busiest day followed on Friday when 109,960 people were screened, according to the TSA. With 104.6 million passengers, the Atlanta airport was the ...
TSA is prepared for the expected increase in summer travel from JFK and
Airline passengers may now send a text message using any mobile device to "AskTSA" (275-872). A virtual assistant is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For more complicated questions, @AskTSA staff are available daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Twitter and on Facebook Messenger.
U.S. screens record 2.95 million airline passengers in a day
The TSA said Friday's travel broke a record set in November of nearly 2.91 million air passengers screened. Five of the 10 busiest ever travel days have been since May 16, the agency said.

How Many People Fly Per Day: A Detailed Look At Air Travel Statistics

Breaking Down the Numbers: Key Air Travel Statistics

Around 10 Million Passengers Each Day

Serving Approximately 3,700 Destinations Worldwide

Who is Flying and Why?

Business Travel Trends

Vacationers and Adventure Seekers

Visiting Friends and Family Abroad

What Impacts Air Travel Volumes?

Global Economic Conditions

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Air Travel Statistics 2023

WHEN WAS THE PEAK DAY FOR AIR TRAVEL IN 2023?

Which were the most popular destinations in 2023?

Which airlines were most popular?

How is the aviation industry's pandemic recovery progressing?

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World air passenger traffic evolution, 1980-2020

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2019 Traffic Data for U.S. Airlines and Foreign Airlines U.S. Flights - Final, Full-Year

Annual Passengers on All U.S. Scheduled Airline Flights (Domestic & International) and Foreign Airline Flights to and from the United States, 2003-2019

Table 1A. Annual Passengers on U.S. Airlines and on Foreign Airlines' U.S. Flights 2018-2019

Air transport, passengers carried

All Countries and Economies

Number of Flights Worldwide in 2024: Passenger Traffic, Behaviors, and Revenue

Number of Airline Flights Table of Contents

Airline flight stats by country

Traveler demographics and behaviors

Airline Revenue

How many people fly each year worldwide?

What percentage of the world flies?

Percentage of People Who Have Never Flown

Airlines with the most flights

How many international airlines are there in the world?

Airlines with the most international flights

Airlines with most canceled flights

Airlines with the most delayed flights

Airline with most on-time flights

Which country goes abroad the most?

What age group travels the most?

Traveler preferences based on gender

Female Preferences in Air Travel

Which gender travels more?

Airline travel in the time of COVID-19

Countries With Completely Closed Borders Due To Covid-19

By Allan Jay

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