The number of air travelers on U.S. airlines continued to increase through March 2018, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Enplanements continued to rise in the U.S., reaching an all-time, seasonally-adjusted high of 73.1 million for March. From March 2017 to March 2018, domestic enplanements rose 4.5 percent while enplanements on U.S. airlines’ international flights to and from the U.S. rose 5.4 percent for a 4.6 percent systemwide increase.
The increasing numbers underscore the industry’s continuing recovery from the 2008 recession and the adjusted business practices from airlines that have led to more stability. Growth trends have been strong for several years. From March 15 to March 2018, domestic enplanements rose 11.6 percent while enplanements on U.S. airlines’ international flights to and from the U.S. rose 10.3 percent for an 11.4 percent systemwide increase.
Although passenger numbers continued to rise, load factor slipped in March to 84.2 percent, with both domestic and international load factor declining. The high was reached in October 15, at 84.8 percent, BTS data shows.
