January 2016 US airline traffic data released

WASHINGTON, DC – The US Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today that US airlines’ system wide (domestic and international) scheduled service load factor – a measure of the use of airline capacity – fell to 83.9 percent in January, seasonally adjusted, falling after a single month of growth from November 2015 to December 2015. Seasonal adjustment allows the comparing of monthly load factors to all other months.

Load factor is a measure of the use of aircraft capacity that compares the system use, measured in Revenue Passenger-Miles (RPMs) as a proportion of system capacity, measured in Available Seat-Miles (ASMs).

The seasonally-adjusted load factor fell month-to-month as a result of a 0.5 percent decrease in RPMs from December to January combined with a smaller 0.1 percent decline in ASMs.

Trends:

Seasonally-adjusted

System wide load factor (83.9) was down 1 point from the all-time seasonally-adjusted high (84.9) reached in October 2015. Domestic load factor (85.1) was down 1.2 points from the all-time seasonally-adjusted high (86.3) reached in October 2015. International load factor (81.2) was down 2 points from the all-time seasonally-adjusted high (83.2) reached in March 2013.

System wide RPMs (76.5 billion) were down 0.5 percent from the all-time seasonally-adjusted high reached in October 2015. Domestic RPMs (53.8 billion) were down 0.6 percent from the all-time seasonally-adjusted high reached in December 2015. International RPMs (22.7 billion) were down 1.8 percent from the all-time seasonally-adjusted high reached in July 2015.

System wide ASMs (91.2 billion) were down 0.1 percent from the all-time seasonally-adjusted high reached in December 2015. Domestic ASMs (63.2 billion) reached a new seasonally-adjusted all-time high, up 0.1 percent from the previous high in December 2015. International ASMs (28.0 billion) were down 0.9 percent from the all-time seasonally-adjusted high reached in August 2015.

System wide passenger enplanements (67.6 million) were down 0.9 percent from the all-time seasonally-adjusted high reached in October 2015. Domestic passenger enplanements (59.0 million) were down 1.1 percent from the all-time seasonally-adjusted high reached in October 2015. International passenger enplanements (8.6 million) were down 0.3 percent from the all-time seasonally-adjusted high reached in December 2015.

Unadjusted

System wide load factor (80.2) was down 0.1 points from the all-time January high reached in 2014. Domestic load factor (80.6) was down 0.1 points from the all-time January high reached in 2014.

International load factor (79.5) was down 0.1 points from the all-time January high reached in 2014.

System wide RPMs (69.3 billion) reached an all-time January high, up 5.0 percent from the previous high reached in 2015. Domestic RPMs (48.1 billion) reached an all-time January high, up 6.5 percent from the previous high reached in 2015. International RPMs (21.2 billion) reached an all-time January high, up 1.7 percent from the previous high reached in 2015.

System wide ASMs (86.3 billion) reached an all-time January high, up 0.6 percent from previous high reached in 2008. Domestic ASMs (59.7 billion) were down 1.6 percent from the all-time January high reached in 2008. International ASMs (26.6 billion) reached an all-time January high, up 0.8 percent from previous high reached in 2015.

System wide passenger enplanements (60.8 million) reached an all-time January high, up 5.2 percent from previous high reached in 2015.

Domestic passenger enplanements (52.5 million) reached an all-time January high, up 5.2 percent from previous high reached in 2015.

International passenger enplanements (8.3 million) reached an all-time January high, up 3.4 percent from previous high reached in 2015.