Source: USDOT

January 2023 Airline Traffic Infographic

U.S. airlines carried 70.0 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in January 2024, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). When adjusted for seasonality, January enplanements are down 1.0% from December and down 1.0% from the all-time high reached in December 2023.

BTS reported 59.8 million domestic passengers and 10.2 million international passengers on U.S. airlines flights in January, not adjusting for seasonality.

U.S. airline traffic reports are filed monthly with BTS. See the tables that accompany this release on the BTS website for summary data since 2016 (Tables 1-24) and complete data since 2000.

Two measures of U.S. airlines passenger enplanements

January seasonally adjusted

  • Systemwide enplanements (81.4M) were down 1% from the all-time high of 82.2 million reached in December 2023.
  • Domestic enplanements (70.3M) were down 1.4% from the all-time high of 71.3 million reached in November 2023.
  • International enplanements (11.06M) reached a new all-time, seasonally-adjusted, high based on data through January 2024.

January unadjusted 

  • Systemwide enplanements (70M) were down 1.1% from the all-time January high (70.8) reached in 2020.
  • Domestic enplanements (59.8M) were down 3% from the all-time January high (61.6) reached in 2020.
  • International enplanements (10.25M) reached a new all-time high for the month of January.

Line chart showing Monthly Passengers on U.S. Scheduled Airlines (Domestic + International), January 2021 - January 2024

Table A. Seasonally Adjusted Passenger Enplanements Compared to Previous Time Periods

 

Percent Change Compared to
Seasonally
Adjusted		 Passengers
(in millions)

Previous
Month

Previous
Year

Three Years
Previous
January

81.4

-1.0%

3.9%

157.6%

 

Table B. Unadjusted Passenger Enplanements Compared to Previous Time Periods

 

Percent Change Compared to
Unadjusted Passengers
(in millions)

Previous
Year

Two Years
Previous

Three Years
Previous
January

70.0

4.0%

35.0%

156.6%

 

For data filed through January, see accompanying tables. For the complete database of reported data, see Traffic. For an explanation of BTS’ seasonal adjustment methodology, see Seasonal Adjustment.

Reporting Notes
Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial U.S. air carriers detailing operations, passenger traffic and freight traffic. This release includes data received by BTS from 77 U.S. carriers as of April 3 for U.S. carrier scheduled civilian operations.

See the BTS Airlines and Airports page for additional scheduled service numbers through January for U.S. airlines. International data by origin and destination is available through October. International totals in this press release consist of all U.S. carrier operations to and from the U.S. and from one foreign point to another foreign point. BTS’ Airlines and Airports page does not include U.S. carriers’ foreign point-to-point flights.

BTS has scheduled May 9th for the release of data through February.

None of the data are from samples. Measures of statistical significance do not apply to the complete air traffic data.

Missing carriers: 3E, (Multi-Aero) have not reported for January. 2HQ (Elite) authority suspended and canceled.