Airlines for America is projecting that summer 2014 air travel will rise to its highest level in six years, with a record number of passengers traveling internationally on U.S. carriers.
A4A expects approximately 210 million passengers to fly on U.S. airlines from June 1 through Aug. 31, an increase of 1.5 percent over 2013. That figure includes 29.9 million travelers expected to travel on international flights.
The top five international destinations from the U.S. are Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan.
John Heimlich, vice president and chief economist at A4A, says member airlines alone have added 65 new routes in 29 countries for the upcoming summer.
“To accommodate the increased air travel demand, airlines are adding seats in scheduled flying both domestic and internationally,” Heimlich says. “That will keep load factors comparable to last summer’s range of 85 [percent] to 87 percent.”
The robust summer forecast comes against a backdrop of a relatively healthy performance for U.S. airlines in the first quarter of 2014. Combined operating revenue grew 3.7 percent to $35.6 billion in the first quarter, compared to the same period in 2013.
Heimlich noted the rough winter weather that plagued much of the country.
“Notwithstanding the weather, we saw more passengers fly year over year in the first quarter of 2014,” he said. “That was the primary story on the revenue side, when we saw operating revenue 3.7 percent higher for the quarter.”
A4A said operating expenses for its nine member airlines edged up 0.5 percent to $34.1 billion, with lower fuel expenses largely offsetting increases in labor, airport and aircraft costs.
The nine carriers collectively reported net profit of $401 million, resulting in a 1.1 percent net profit margin, improved from a collective net loss of $552 million during the same period in 2013.
