No surprise here: fewer domestic flyers took to the air during the first seven months of 2008 – 1.5 percent fewer than for a comparable period in 2007. The assessment comes from preliminary data from the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (Web site: www.bts.gov).
While U.S. carriers flew fewer domestic passengers, they carried significantly more international flyers during the first seven months of this year – 4.5 percent more. This is a reflection of recent rapid expansion international flying by U.S. airlines, especially on the part of Delta Air Lines.
Many industry observers expect domestic flying to drop further this fall. That’s because significant capacity cuts among U.S. airlines really took off in September. As for international travel, the economic shock waves that rippled through the world economy in September and October are expected to cut international traffic especially premium, First and Business-Class traffic. Those numbers should be reflected in coming Bureau of Transportation statistics.
This country’s top airports during the first seven months of 2008? To no one’s surprise, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) was busiest (matter of fact it remains busiest in the world), while Miami International (MIA) handled more international passengers than any other U.S. airport.
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler
