October 2023 U.S. Airline Traffic Data Up 8.2% from the Same Month Last Year

Thursday, January 11, 2024

BTS 03-24

October 2023 Air traffic infographic

U.S. airlines carried 82.6 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in October 2023, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). When adjusted for seasonality, October enplanements are up 1.2% from September and reached a new all-time high in October 2023.

BTS reported 73 million domestic passengers and 9.6 million international passengers on U.S. airlines flights in October, 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

October seasonally adjusted

Systemwide enplanements (81.0M) reached a new all-time, seasonally-adjusted, high based on data through October 2023.
Domestic enplanements (70.1M) were down 1.2% from the all-time high of 70.9 million reached in January 2020.
International enplanements (10.89M) reached a new all-time, seasonally-adjusted, high based on data through October 2023.

October unadjusted

Systemwide enplanements (82.6M) reached a new all-time high for the month of October.
Domestic enplanements (73.0M) reached a new all-time high for the month of October.
International enplanements (9.59M) reached a new all-time high for the month of October.

Line chart showing monthly passengers on U.S. scheduled airlines (Domestic and International) in October 2020 through October 2023

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

Seasonally Adjusted	Passengers (in millions)	Percent Change Compared to
Seasonally Adjusted	Passengers (in millions)	Previous Month	Previous Year	Three Years Previous
October	81.0	1.2%	7.1%	176.8%

Table B. Unadjusted Passenger Enplanements Compared to Previous Time Periods

Unadjusted	Passengers (in millions)	Percent Change Compared to
Unadjusted	Passengers (in millions)	Previous Year	Two Years Previous	Three Years Previous
October	82.6	8.2%	25.4%	175.3%

For data filed through October, 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 January 3 for U.S. carrier scheduled civilian operations.

See the BTS Airlines and Airports page for additional scheduled service numbers through October for U.S. airlines. International data by origin and destination is available through July. 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 Feb. 8th for the release of data through November.

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 September. 2HQ (Elite) authority suspended and canceled.