The number of passengers flying on U.S. airlines increased by 3.1 percent in 2016 over 2015, with domestic flights registering a 3.3 percent passenger increase and international flights seeing a 1.7 percent gain, according to the U.S. Government’s Bureau of Transportation statistics.
Foreign airlines carried 6.3 percent more passengers to and from the United States than in 2015.
The 209.9 million passengers on international flights to and from the United States was a record high, exceeding the previous high set in 2015.
The BTS data showed that Southwest Airlines carried more total system passengers in 2016 than any other U.S. airline. American Airlines carried more passengers on international flights to and from the U.S. in 2016 than any other U.S. or foreign carrier. British Airways carried the most passengers on flights to and from the U.S. of any foreign airline. Load factor was down by 0.2 percent as demand (measured in revenue passenger miles) grew by 4.7 percent, while capacity (measured in available seat miles) increased by 5 percent.
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International (ATL) handled the most total system passengers in 2016, while more passengers boarded international flights at New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) than at any other U.S. airport.
