September 2024 U.S. Airline Traffic Data Up 1.6% from the Same Month Last Year

Thursday, December 12, 2024

BTS 57-24

September_2024_Passenger_Emplanements_Domestic_International_Infographic

U.S. airlines carried 77.5 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in September 2024, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). When adjusted for seasonality, September enplanements are down 0.4% from August and down 1.7% from the all-time high reached in June 2024.

BTS reported 68 million domestic passengers and 9.5 million international passengers on U.S. airlines flights in September, 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

September seasonally adjusted

Systemwide enplanements (81.5M) were down 1.7% from the all-time high of 82.9 million reached in June 2024.
Domestic enplanements (70.9M) were down 1.7% from the all-time high of 72.1 million reached in June 2024.
International enplanements (10.6M) were down 4.1% from the all-time high of 11.1 million reached in February 2024.

September unadjusted

Systemwide enplanements (77.5M) reached a new all-time high for the month of September.
Domestic enplanements (68.0M) reached a new all-time high for the month of September.
International enplanements (9.5M) were up 1.0% from the all-time September high (9.4) reached in 2023.

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

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
September	81.5	-0.4%	1.6%	31.4%

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
September	77.5	1.6%	8.4%	31.9%

For data filed through September, 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 December 3 for U.S. carrier scheduled civilian operations.

See the BTS Airlines and Airports page for additional scheduled service numbers through September for U.S. airlines. International data by origin and destination is available through June. 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 Jan. 10th for the release of data through October.

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