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Air Traffic By The Numbers

Every day, FAA 's Air Traffic Organization ( ATO ) provides service to more than 45,000 flights and 2.9 million airline passengers across more than 29 million square miles of airspace. With an airspace system as vast and complex as ours, it is helpful to have an easy-to-reference source for relevant facts and information. View the infographic below for a glimpse into ATO , or for more information, see Air Traffic by the Numbers ( PDF ) . * based on FY22 figures

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Air Travel Consumer Report: December 2021, Full Year 2021 Numbers

OST 10-21 Contact: [email protected]  

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today released its Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline operational data compiled for the month of December 2021 and the full calendar year 2021 for on-time performance, mishandled baggage, mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, complaints received, and oversales. The ATCR is designed to assist consumers with information on the quality of services provided by airlines. The ATCR and other aviation consumer matters of interest to the public can be found at  https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer . 

In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to result in significant changes to airline schedules and operations. The volume of flights operated in 2021 (6.2 million), although more than 2020, was 78.1% of the volume of flights operated in pre-pandemic 2019 (7.9 million). In 2021, the 10 marketing carriers reported 6.3 million scheduled flights, 78.0% of the 8.1 million scheduled in 2019. The same airlines reported canceling 111,018 flights in 2021, or 1.76% of their schedule, down from 1.90% in 2019.

The 566,465 flights operated in December 2021 were 85.2% of the 672,765 flights operated in pre-pandemic December 2019. Operated flights in December 2021 were up 45.6% year-over-year from the 393,549 flights operated in December 2020 and down 1.2% month-over-month from the 573,134 flights operated in November 2021.

In December 2021, the 10 marketing network carriers reported 580,238 scheduled domestic flights, 13,773 (2.4 %) of which were canceled. In pre-pandemic December 2019, the same airlines reported 679,941 scheduled domestic flights, 7,176 (1.1%) of which were canceled. In November 2021, airlines scheduled 576,693 domestic flights, of which 3,559 (0.6%) were canceled.

Full-Year 2021 On-Time Arrival

Reporting marketing carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 81.1% for 2021, down from an annual on-time arrival rate of 84.5% in 2020 but up from an annual on-time arrival rate of 79.0% in 2019.

Highest Marketing Carrier Annual On-Time Arrival Rates 2021 (ATCR Table 1)

• Hawaiian Airlines – 90.1%
• Delta Air Lines Network – 88.2%
• Alaska Airlines Network – 83.2%

Lowest Marketing Carrier Annual On-Time Arrival Rates 2021 (ATCR Table 1C)

• Allegiant Air – 68.3%
• JetBlue Airways – 72.3%
• Southwest Airlines– 75.8%

December 2021 On-Time Arrival

In December 2021, reporting marketing carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 76.0%, down from 84.3% in November 2021 and 87.2% in December 2020.

Highest Marketing Carrier On-Time Arrival Rates December 2021 (ATCR Table 1) 

• American Airlines – 82.2%
• Delta Air Lines Network – 80.0%
• Hawaiian Airlines – 77.3%

Lowest Marketing Carrier On-Time Arrival Rates December 2021 (ATCR Table 1)

• Allegiant Air – 61.1%
• JetBlue Airways – 64.5%
• Alaska Airlines Network – 65.6%

Full-Year 2021 Flight Cancellations

In 2021, reporting marketing carriers canceled 1.76% of their scheduled domestic flights, lower than the rate of both 6.0% in 2020 and 1.90% in pre-pandemic 2019. A flight is listed as canceled if it was listed in a carrier’s computer reservation system during the seven calendar days prior to a scheduled departure but was not operated.

Lowest Marketing Carrier Annual Rates of Canceled Flights 2021 (ATCR Table 6B)

• Hawaiian Airlines – 0.4%  
• Delta Air Lines Network – 0.6%   
• Frontier Airlines – 1.4%    

Highest Marketing Carrier Annual Rates of Canceled Flights 2021 (ATCR Table 6B)

• Allegiant Air – 3.3%    
• Spirit Airlines– 3.0%    
• Southwest Airlines – 2.2%    

December 2021 Flight Cancellations

In December 2021, reporting marketing carriers canceled 2.4% of their scheduled domestic flights, higher than the rate of both 0.6% in November 2021 and 1.1% in December 2020.

Lowest Marketing Carrier Rates of Canceled Flights December 2021 (ATCR Table 6)

• Southwest Airlines – 1.1%  
• American Airlines Network – 1.1%   
• Frontier Airlines – 1.6%    

Highest Marketing Carrier Rates of Canceled Flights December 2021 (ATCR Table 6)

• Allegiant Air – 6.3%    
• Alaska Airlines Network– 5.5%    
• Spirit Airlines – 4.8%    

Tarmac Delays

In December 2021, airlines reported 33 tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights, compared to 2 tarmac delays reported in November 2021 and 3 tarmac delays reported in December 2020. In December 2021, airlines reported 0 tarmac delays of more than four hours on international flights, compared to 2 tarmac delays reported in November 2021 and 2 tarmac delays in December 2020.

For all of 2021, airlines reported 155 tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights, up from 55 in 2020 and down from 305 in 2019. Also in 2021, airlines reported 33 tarmac delays of more than four hours on international flights, up from 6 in 2020 and 26 in 2019.

Airlines are required to have and adhere to assurances that they will not allow aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours for domestic flights and four hours for international flights without providing passengers the option to deplane, subject to exceptions related to safety, security, and Air Traffic Control related reasons. An exception also exists for departure delays if the airline begins to return the aircraft to a suitable disembarkation point to deplane passengers by those times.

Extended tarmac delays are investigated by the Department.

Mishandled Baggage

For the full year 2021, reporting marketing carriers handled nearly 393 million bags, posting a rate of 5.1 mishandled bags per 1,000 checked, which is higher than 2020’s rate of 4.1 and lower than 2019’s rate of 5.9.

In December 2021, reporting marketing carriers handled more than 40 million bags and posted a mishandled baggage rate of 6.6 mishandled bags per 1,000 checked bags, a higher rate than both the November 2021 rate of 4.6 and the December 2020 rate of 4.2.

Mishandled Wheelchairs and Scooters

For the full year 2021, reporting marketing carriers reported checking 532,306 wheelchairs and scooters and mishandling 7,239 for a rate of 1.36% mishandled. That is higher than the rate of 1.29% mishandled in 2020 but lower than the rate of 1.54% mishandled in 2019.

In December 2021, reporting marketing carriers reported checking 50,447 wheelchairs and scooters and mishandling 834 for a rate of 1.65% mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, lower than the rate of 1.73% mishandled in November 2021 but higher than the rate of 1.15% mishandled in December 2020.

Bumping/Oversales

Bumping/oversales data, unlike other air carrier data, are reported quarterly rather than monthly.

For the year, the reporting marketing carriers posted an involuntary denied boarding, or bumping rate of 0.17 per 10,000 passengers in 2021. That is higher than the rate of 0.11 in 2020 but lower than the rate of 0.24 in 2019.

For the fourth quarter of 2021, the 10 U.S. reporting marketing carriers posted an involuntary denied boarding, or bumping, rate of 0.23 per 10,000 passengers, higher than the rate of 0.16 in the third quarter of 2021 and the rate of 0.03 in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Incidents Involving Animals

In 2021, carriers reported seven animal deaths, injuries to fourteen other animals, and zero lost animals, for a total of 21 incidents, up from the 10 incident reports filed for calendar year 2020 and up from the 19 incident reports filed for calendar year 2019. In 2021, 256,114 animals were transported by airlines, for a rate of 0.82 incidents per 10,000 animals transported. In 2020, 311,149 animals were transported, for a rate of 0.32 incidents per 10,000 animals transported. In 2019, 404,556 animals were transportation, for a rate of 0.47 incidents per 10,000 animals transported.

In December 2021, carriers reported four incidents involving the death, injury, or loss of an animal while traveling by air, up from the one report filed in December 2020, and up from the one report filed in November 2021. The December 2021 incidents involved the death of one animal and injuries to three other animals. 

Complaints About Airline Service

In 2021, the Department received 49,958 complaints. This is down 51.29 percent from the 102,560 complaints received in 2020 but up 225.84 percent from the 15,332 complaints received in 2019. Of the 49,958 complaints received in 2021, 29,507 (59%) concerned refunds.

In December 2021, DOT received 4,242 complaints about airline service from consumers, up 19.73 percent from the 3,543 complaints received in November 2021 and up 10.12 percent from 3,852 complaints filed in December 2020.

The Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection continues to communicate with airlines and travel companies that receive refund complaints to ensure compliance with the refund requirements. Many passengers who had initially been denied refunds have received the required refunds. The Department has taken and will take enforcement action against noncompliant airlines and ticket agents as necessary.

Complaints About Treatment of Disabled Passengers

In 2021, the Department received 1,394 disability complaints, up 157.67 percent from the total of 541 received in 2020 and up 54.03 percent from the 905 received in 2019.

In December 2021, the Department received a total of 180 disability-related complaints, up from the 146 disability-related complaints received in November 2021, and up from the 46 complaints received in December 2020. 

Complaints About Discrimination

In 2021, the Department received 132 discrimination complaints – 81 complaints regarding race, 10 complaints regarding ancestry/ethnicity, 13 complaints regarding national origin, six complaints regarding color, nine complaints regarding religion, nine complaints regarding sex, and four complaints categorized as “other.”  This is an increase of 169.39 percent from the total of 49 discrimination complaints filed in 2020 and an increase of 23.36 percent from the total of 107 discrimination complaints filed in 2019. 

In December 2021, the Department received five complaints alleging discrimination – three complaints regarding race, one complaint regarding ancestry/ethnicity, and one complaint categorized as “other.” This is down from the 17 complaints received in November 2021, and remained the same from the five complaints recorded in December 2020.

Consumers may file air travel consumer or civil rights complaints online at  http://airconsumer.dot.gov/escomplaint/ConsumerForm.cfm  or by voicemail at (202) 366-2220, or they may mail a complaint to the Aviation Consumer Protection Division, U.S. Department of Transportation, C-75, W96-432, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590.

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Air Travel Is Already Back to Normal in Some Places. Here’s Where.

While airports in major cities are still struggling, some smaller airports that are vacation destinations are busier than before the pandemic.

By Quoctrung Bui and Sarah Kliff

In Florida, Key West International Airport is busier than normal, while Miami International has half as many passengers as it did before the pandemic.

In the West, big-city airports — in San Francisco, Portland, Seattle — are serving a fraction of their typical traveler volume, between 24 percent and 46 percent. But smaller regional airports, near Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Colorado ski country, have passenger volume as much as 12 percent higher than this time last year.

This pattern is typical across the country, detailed new data shows. Large hub airports have just a fraction of the travelers they did at this time last year, even as Americans are returning to flying, particularly to vacation destinations.

“You see airports in Colorado, Montana, Key West having recovered quite a lot,” said Kevin Williams, a Yale economist who studies air travel data. “And then you have a lot of major cities that are still down quite a lot.”

He has compiled granular Transportation Security Administration data that tracks how many people move through airport screening checkpoints. It shows that, with millions being vaccinated daily and states rolling back pandemic restrictions , Americans are returning to leisure travel in large numbers.

Major commuter airports are still far off their prepandemic levels

Passenger volume compared with february 2020 average.

But airports that serve major cities are still serving far fewer travelers than they did early last year. Washington National, close to the District of Columbia, is down 70 percent in passenger volume. San Francisco International is serving a quarter of its typical volume, and Kennedy Airport in New York is at about one-third.

This may reflect in part the slower return of business travel. These hub airports also tend to have many international flights, which are expected to take longer to recover. Additionally, many urban attractions for leisure travelers — Broadway theaters in New York City, the Smithsonian museums in Washington — remain closed because of the pandemic.

A few dozen smaller airports, where travel is thriving in spite of growing coronavirus case numbers nationally, appear to fall into two categories: those especially close to outdoor vacation destinations, and those serving communities whose residents are more willing to travel amid a pandemic.

Small vacation-oriented airports are nearing normal

“The only thing that is different is the masks,” said Richard Strickland, airport director at Key West International, who has flown five times in the last five months. “We’re now busier than we were in 2019.”

Idaho Falls Regional Airport is about two hours from Yellowstone National Park, which attracted many visitors last year. The airport’s passenger volume is now 80 percent of what it was last year — a stronger recovery than at the state’s largest airport, in Boise, which is at roughly 60 percent of its regular travel volume.

Two other airports that serve Yellowstone, one in Wyoming and another in Montana, were fully back to prepandemic travel volume in early March.

“For late summer and through the fall, we were seeing close to the same numbers that we’d had in 2019,” said Rick Cloutier, executive director of the Idaho Falls airport. “We were fortunate recipients of the people’s desire to get to the great outdoors.”

Passenger volume has returned to normal at Canyonlands Field airport in Utah, near Arches National Park. On Florida’s Gulf Coast, airports near beaches are having a similarly good year. There were 24 percent more passengers passing through Northwest Florida Beaches airport in early March than around that time last year.

Airports in one outdoors vacation destination have remained notably empty, though: Hawaii’s airports are down between 51 percent and 84 percent in passenger volume. The state, which has had relatively few Covid cases, requires visitors to obtain a negative test within three days before travel or to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival, making travel there more complicated. The longer time spent on a flight may also scare away potential passengers.

Willingness to travel by airplane may also vary from one city to another. Americans have reacted differently to strategies to minimize the pandemic’s spread, wearing masks and restricting time outside the house to varying levels.

“We seem to have been filling up when everybody else isn’t,” said Steve Gleason, executive director of Provo Municipal Airport. His airport is small — usually just about four or so flights a day — but busy. It’s not especially close to any national park.

Passenger traffic is down 2 percent compared with last year, while Salt Lake City International, an hour away, is still down 40 percent. Mr. Gleason says most of the rebound has to do with passengers traveling to see family through the pandemic or to students who attend Brigham Young University, which is holding in-person classes this semester.

“Most of our traffic is family traffic; they just kept flying,” he said. “It seems like everything shut down pretty solidly for two or three months, and then everybody picked back up again.”

Quoctrung Bui is a graphics editor and covers social science and policy for The Upshot. He joined The Times in 2015, and previously worked for National Public Radio covering economics and everyday life. More about Quoctrung Bui

  More about Sarah Kliff

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Dialect Quiz:  What does the way you speak say about where you’re from? Answer these questions to find out .

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Liquids Rule

You are allowed to bring a quart-sized bag of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes in your carry-on bag and through the checkpoint. These are limited to travel-sized containers that are 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item. Placing these items in the small bag and separating from your carry-on baggage facilitates the screening process. Pack items that are in containers larger than 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters in checked baggage.

Any liquid, aerosol, gel, cream or paste that alarms during screening will require additional screening.

• Medications
• Infant and child nourishments

Inbound International Flights

You may carry duty free liquids in secure, tamper–evident bags, more than 3.4 oz or 100 ml in your carry-on bag if:

• The duty free liquids were purchased internationally and you are traveling to the United States with a connecting flight.
• The liquids are packed in a transparent, secure, tamper-evident bag by the retailer and do not show signs of tampering when presented to TSA for screening.
• The original receipt for the liquids is present and the purchase was made within 48 hours.

The items inside the secure, tamper-evident bags must be screened and cleared. Any item that alarms or is unable to be screened will not be permitted in your carry-on bag. We recommend packing all liquids, gels, and aerosols that are over 3.4 oz or 100 ml in your checked baggage, even if they are in a secure, tamper-evident bag.

This chart shows how global air travel is faring

Air travel has picked up this year following COVID-19 disruptions in 2020 and 2021. Image:  Unsplash/Avery Cocozziello

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Stay up to date:, pandemic preparedness and response.

• Air travel has picked up this year following COVID-19 disruptions in 2020 and 2021.
• However, weekly seat capacity on commercial passenger airlines is still some way below 2019 levels.
• There are also regional differences in how airlines have recovered following the pandemic.

As international travel was brought to an abrupt halt in 2020 at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the aviation industry suffered “the worst year in history for air travel demand”. While 2021 was still mired by travel restrictions, turbulence gradually eased in 2022 as more and more passengers returned to the skies.

According to data from OAG , weekly seat capacity on commercial passenger airlines averaged 90.7 million so far this year, up from 61 million during the same period in 2020 but still some way below the 2019 level of 110.9 million. The gap is gradually closing, however, and global capacity exceeded 100 million for the first time since the pandemic hit for a couple of weeks this summer.

There are significant regional differences in how far passenger airlines have recovered from the Covid-19 shock. While capacity remains far below pre-pandemic levels in large parts of Asia, especially in terms of international flights, capacity in North America is very close to 2019 levels.

As other sectors proceed to decarbonize, the aviation sector could account for a much higher share of global greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century than its 2%-3% share today.

Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) can reduce the life-cycle carbon footprint of aviation fuel by up to 80%, but they currently make up less than 0.1% of total aviation fuel consumption. Enabling a shift from fossil fuels to SAFs will require a significant increase in production, which is a costly investment.

The Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow (CST) Coalition is a global initiative driving the transition to sustainable aviation fuels as part of the aviation industry’s ambitious efforts to achieve carbon-neutral flying.

The coalition brings together government leaders, climate experts and CEOs from aviation, energy, finance and other sectors who agree on the urgent need to help the aviation industry reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The coalition aims to advance the commercial scale of viable production of sustainable low-carbon aviation fuels (bio and synthetic) for broad adoption in the industry by 2030. Initiatives include a mechanism for aggregating demand for carbon-neutral flying, a co-investment vehicle and geographically specific value-chain industry blueprints.

Learn more about the Clean Skies for Tomorrow Coalition's impact and contact us to find out how you can get involved.

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New travel forecast shows normalizing of leisure travel demand from post-pandemic surge.

Domestic business travel growth moderates, int’l inbound travel accelerates

PRESS RELEASE June 14, 2023

WASHINGTON -

The U.S. Travel Association released its biannual forecast for travel to and within the United States through 2026, showing a normalized rate of growth in the domestic leisure travel sector after months of elevated demand.

“Robust domestic leisure travel demand has been the driving force in the overall industry’s post-pandemic comeback,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman. “Though the surge we experienced in the last year is starting to moderate, we expect this segment to remain resilient in coming quarters.”

Domestic Leisure Travel

Domestic leisure travel is expected to remain strong, but with normalized rates of growth (around 2%) in 2023 and 2024. Volume is expected to grow faster year-over-year (YOY) than inflation-adjusted spending in 2024 and beyond.

Domestic Business Travel

Both volume and spending in domestic business travel is expected to grow—albeit more slowly—largely due to economic conditions. While business travel will continue recovering, with both volume and spending at double-digit growth in 2023, it is expected that growth in inflation-adjusted spending will be slower than volume in 2024 and beyond.

Business travel volume is not expected to recover to 2019 levels until 2025, while inflation-adjusted spending is not expected to recover within the range of the forecast.

International Inbound Travel

The inbound travel forecast was upgraded due to strong demand from the Canadian market, as well as stronger expectations from key overseas markets such as Brazil. Year-over-year, inbound travel volume is projected to grow 31% in 2023 and 18% in 2024, while inflation-adjusted spending is projected to grow 34% in 2023 and 19% in 2024.

Volume in this sector is projected to recover by 2025, while inflation-adjusted spending will not recover until 2026.

Policies to Grow Travel

U.S. Travel Association cites four key federal policy areas to accelerate growth across travel sectors:

• Improve the overall air travel experience through the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill
• Lower U.S. visitor visa interview wait times , which currently exceed an average of 500 days in top visa-requiring inbound markets
• Reduce Customs wait times at U.S. airports and other ports of entry experiencing excessive delays
• Increase federal prioritization and focus on travel industry growth, as other countries have done

“Travel is essential to growing the U.S. economy and workforce, so the federal government must enact policies to ensure our industry is able to meet demand in coming years,” said Freeman.

See the full forecast table .

U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing the $1.3 trillion travel industry, an essential contributor to our nation's economy and success. U.S. Travel produces programs and insights and advocates for policies to increase travel to and within the United States. Visit ustravel.org for more information.

Greg Staley

Senior Vice President, Communications

202.408.2162

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January 2024 Air Passenger Travel

January 2024 international air passenger travel to and from the united states.

»Air Passenger Enplanements Up 13.5% Year Over Year in January 2024 »Air Passenger Travel Between the United States and Europe Up 7.6% in January 2024

Data recently released by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) show that in January 2024 :

U.S.-international air traffic passenger enplanements 1 totaled:

• 20.468 million in January 2024, up 13.5% compared to January 2023, with enplanements reaching 103.0% of pre-pandemic January 2019 volume.

Originating Non-Stop Air Travel in January 2024

• 4.750 million in January 2024, up 17.8% compared to January 2023.
• This represents 90% of pre-pandemic January 2019 volume.

On a related note, overseas visitor arrivals 2 totaled  2.394 million in January 2024, the 11th consecutive month overseas visitor arrivals exceeded 2.0 million. January overseas visitor arrivals reached 82.7% of pre-pandemic January 2019 volume, down from 88.1% in December 2023. ( See January I-94 Advance Release )

• 4.647 million in January 2024, up 8.5% compared to January 2023 and exceeding January 2019 volume by 17%.

World Region Highlights in January 2024 (APIS/I-92 arrivals + departures)

• Total air passenger travel (arrivals and departures) between the United States and other countries were led by Mexico 3.739 million, Canada 2.423 million, the United Kingdom 1.271 million, the Dominican Republic 976,000, and Japan 728,000.
• (U.S citizen departures were down -0.9% compared to January 2019, while European citizen arrivals were down -14.2%.)
• South/Central America/Caribbean totaled 5.999 million, up 18.0% over January 2023, and 14.5% compared to January 2019.
• Asia totaled 2.356 million passengers, up 35.0% over January 2023, but down (-27.7%) compared to January 2019.
• Top U.S. Ports serving international locations were New York (JFK) 2.568 million, Miami (MIA) 2.271 million, Los Angeles (LAX) 1.925 million, San Francisco (SFO) 1.161 million, and Newark (EWR) 1.126 million.
• Top Foreign Ports serving U.S. locations were Cancun (CUN) 1.196 million, London Heathrow (LHR) 1.140 million, Toronto (YYZ) 985,000, Mexico (MEX) 709,000, and Incheon (ICN) 590,000. 

1 APIS/ “I-92” (arrivals + departures)

2 ADIS/I-94 (with stays of 1-night or more in the United States and visiting under certain visa types)

Interested in an interactive data visualization of these statistics? Please visit our APIS/I-92 International Air Passenger Monitor for a more comprehensive and customizable experience.

Explore the APIS/I-92 International Air Passenger Monitor

The APIS/I-92 Program provides information on non-stop international air traffic between the United States and other countries. The data has been collected from the Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection’s Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) since July 2010. The APIS based “I-92” system provides air traffic data on the following parameters: number of passengers, by country, airport, scheduled or chartered, U.S. Flag, foreign flag, citizens and non-citizens. Visit the APIS/I-92 Data Program home page for more information on airline travel to and from the United States.

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• Global business travel spending 2001-2022
• Top U.S. travel management partners 2020
• Daily business tourism expenses in the United States 2018-2021
• Highest-priced U.S. business travel destinations Q4 2022

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Statistics on " Business travel in the United States "

• G20 nations: business travel spending 2021
• Share of tourism spending in leading global travel markets 2022, by type
• Number of business travel jobs in the U.S. 2019-2021
• Readiness of U.S. travelers to take business trips 2021
• Business travel volume in the U.S. 2010-2021
• Growth rate of domestic business trips in the U.S. 2017-2026
• Inbound business tourism volume in the U.S. 2011-2021
• Main source countries for U.S. inbound business travel 2022
• Average monthly trips by U.S. business travelers 2022, by type
• U.S. inbound business travel spending 2010-2021
• U.S. inbound business travel spending 2020, by source region
• Main source markets for U.S. inbound business travel spending 2020
• U.S. outbound business travel spending 2010-2021
• Main recipient countries of U.S. outbound business travel spending 2020
• U.S. domestic business travel spending 2019-2026
• Favorite hotel brands for corporate travel during COVID-19 in the United States 2021
• Predictions on reduction of U.S. corporate travel spend due to green goals 2025
• Predictions on corporate travel spending in the United States 2022, by destination
• Adoption of digital nomads' way of living in the U.S. 2022
• Major reasons to take bleisure trips for U.S. business travelers 2022
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• Favorite countries for U.S. Americans to work remotely 2021
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• Motivations of U.S. Americans who work remotely to choose workation 2021
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• Premium Statistic U.S. inbound business travel spending 2010-2021
• Premium Statistic U.S. inbound business travel spending 2020, by source region
• Premium Statistic Main source markets for U.S. inbound business travel spending 2020
• Premium Statistic U.S. outbound business travel spending 2010-2021
• Premium Statistic Main recipient countries of U.S. outbound business travel spending 2020
• Premium Statistic U.S. domestic business travel spending 2019-2026
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• Basic Statistic Roblox Corporation global bookings 2018-2019, by region
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Further Content: You might find this interesting as well

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• Opinions of U.S. travelers on certain aspects of air travel as of April 2014
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• Airlines with the best business class cabins in Europe 2015
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• eDreams: flights for the end of the year distributed by reservation date Spain 2016
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• Total value of Webjet Limited bookings Australia 2012-2021

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Air Travel Consumer Report: January 2023 Numbers

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today released its Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline operational data compiled for the month of January 2023 for on-time performance, mishandled baggage, and mishandled wheelchairs and scooters. 

The ATCR is designed to assist consumers with information on the quality of services provided by airlines. DOT remains committed to ensuring airline passengers are treated fairly and is concerned about recent flight cancellations and flight disruptions and difficulties families are experiencing in sitting together with no fees. The Department is currently investigating several domestic airlines to ensure that they are not engaging in unrealistic scheduling of flights. 

DOT uses the data from the ATCR, consumer complaints, and other information it secures from the airlines to inform its enforcement activities and the adequacy of existing rules.

DOT is taking unprecedented action to ensure the traveling public is protected. Last year, DOT issued the largest fines in the history of the consumer protection office – helping to get hundreds of thousands of people hundreds of millions of dollars back. And since 2021, DOT has helped return more than $1 billion in refunds to travelers. Further, in August, Secretary Buttigieg pressed airlines to do more for passengers who had a flight canceled or delayed when it was under the airline’s control, such as covering the costs of rebooking and guaranteeing meals and hotels. Before his urging, none of the 10 largest U.S. airlines guaranteed meals or hotels when a delay or cancellation was within the airlines’ control, and only one offered free rebooking. However after Secretary Buttigieg called on airlines to improve their service and created an airline customer service dashboard to make airline commitments transparent and accessible to the public, 10 airlines now guarantee meals and free rebooking when an airline issue causes a cancellation or delay, while nine guarantee hotels. Without these commitments, Southwest would not have been required to cover the costs of hotels, meals, and travel during its recent holiday debacle that stranded millions. 

Further, earlier this year, Secretary Buttigieg pressed airlines to commit to fee-free family seating. Before his urging, no airline committed to guaranteeing fee-free family seating. Now three airlines have committed to guaranteeing fee-free family seating, and DOT is pursuing a rulemaking that would require all airlines to do so. To further assist consumers in assessing airline family seating commitments, earlier this month, DOT rolled out a new family seating dashboard that highlights the airlines that guarantee fee-free family seating, and those that do not, making it easier for parents to avoid paying junk fees to sit with their children when they fly.

Flight Operations

The 562,845 flights operated in January 2023 were 106.59% of the 528,070 flights operated in January 2022. Operated flights in January 2023 were up 6.59% year-over-year from the 528,070 flights operated in January 2022 and up 2.87% month-over-month from 547,134 flights operated in December 2022.

In January 2023, the 10 marketing network carriers reported 573,877 scheduled domestic flights, 11,032 (1.9%) of which were canceled. In January 2022, airlines scheduled 563,737 domestic flights, of which 35,667 (6.31%) were canceled. In December 2022, airlines scheduled 578,321 domestic flights, of which 31,187 (5.4%) were canceled. 

January 2023 On-Time Arrival

In January 2023, reporting marketing carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 76.2% up from 69.0% in December 2022 and up from 75.2% in January 2022. The year-to-date on-time arrival rate for 2023 is 76.2%.

Highest Marketing Carrier On-Time Arrival Rates January 2023 (ATCR Table 1)

• Delta Air Lines Network – 78.6%
• Alaska Airlines Network – 77.6%
• Southwest Airlines - 77.5% 

Lowest Marketing Carrier On-Time Arrival Rates January 2023 (ATCR Table 1)

• Frontier Airlines – 62.6%
• Spirit Airlines – 69.2%
• Allegiant Air – 70.4%

January 2023 Flight Cancellations

In January 2023, reporting marketing carriers canceled 1.9% of their scheduled domestic flights, lower than the rate 5.4% in December 2022 and lower than 6.3% in January 2022.

Lowest Marketing Carrier Rates of Canceled Flights January 2023 (ATCR Table 6)

• JetBlue Airways – 0.8%  
• Hawaiian Airlines – 1.1%   
• Delta Air Lines Network – 1.1%    

Highest Marketing Carrier Rates of Canceled Flights January 2023 (ATCR Table 6)

• Frontier Airlines – 3.3%    
• Southwest Airlines – 2.9%
• Spirit Airlines – 2.3%    

Complaints About Airline Service

The Department received a high volume of air travel service complaints and inquiries against airlines and ticket agents in January 2023. The Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection is working diligently to process the large number of complaints and inquiries received. Nevertheless, the issuance of the ATCR has been delayed because of the time needed to review and process these consumer complaints. Consumer complaint data for January 2023 will be publicly available in its usual format in May at https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/air-travel-consumer-reports .

Tarmac Delays

In January 2023, airlines reported 18 tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights, compared to 79 tarmac delays reported in December 2022. In January 2023, airlines reported zero tarmac delays of more than four hours on international flights, compared to three tarmac delays reported in December 2022. 

Airlines are required to have and adhere to assurances that they will not allow aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours for domestic flights and four hours for international flights without providing passengers the option to deplane, subject to exceptions related to safety, security, and Air Traffic Control related reasons. An exception also exists for departure delays if the airline begins to return the aircraft to a suitable disembarkation point to deplane passengers by those times.

Extended tarmac delays are investigated by the Department.

Mishandled Baggage

In January 2023, reporting marketing carriers handled 36.6 million bags and posted a mishandled baggage rate of 0.73%, lower than both the December 2022 rate of 1.09% and the January 2022 rate of 0.81%.

The Department began displaying the mishandled baggage data as a percentage (i.e., per 100 bags enplaned) in January 2022. This is consistent with the manner that the mishandled wheelchairs and scooters rate is calculated and displayed. 

In the prior three calendar year reports (2019 to 2021), the Department calculated the mishandled baggage rate based on the number of mishandled bags per 1,000 checked bags. 

Mishandled Wheelchairs and Scooters

In January 2023, reporting marketing carriers reported checking 54,398 wheelchairs and scooters and mishandling 871 for a rate of 1.60% mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, lower than the rate of 1.62% mishandled in December 2022 and higher than the rate of 1.57% mishandled in January 2022.

Bumping/Oversales

Bumping/oversales data, unlike other air carrier data, are reported quarterly rather than monthly. For the fourth quarter of 2022, the 10 U.S. reporting marketing carriers posted an involuntary denied boarding, or bumping, rate of 0.30 per 10,000 passengers, higher than the rate of 0.23 in the fourth quarter of 2021 and higher than the rate of 0.16 in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Incidents Involving Animals

In January 2023, carriers reported no incidents involving the death, injury, or loss of an animal while traveling by air, equal to the zero reports filed in December 2022 and up from the one report filed in pre-pandemic January 2022.

Consumers may file air travel consumer or civil rights complaints online at http://airconsumer.dot.gov/escomplaint/ConsumerForm.cfm or by voicemail at (202) 366-2220, or they may mail a complaint to the Aviation Consumer Protection Division, U.S. Department of Transportation, C-75, W96-432, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590.

The ATCR and other aviation consumer matters of interest to the public can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer .

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Big data reveals true climate impact of worldwide air travel

by Nancy Bazilchuk, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

For the first time ever, researchers have harnessed the power of big data to calculate the per-country greenhouse gas emissions from aviation for 197 countries covered by an international treaty on climate change.

When countries signed the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change treaty, high-income countries were required to report their aviation -related emissions. But 151 middle and lower income countries, including China and India, were not required to report these emissions, although they could do so voluntarily.

This matters because the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change relies on country reports of emissions during negotiations on country-specific emissions cuts.

"Our work fills the reporting gap, so that this can inform policy and hopefully improve future negotiations," says Jan Klenner, a Ph.D. candidate at NTNU's Industrial Ecology Programme and the first author of the new article, which was recently published in Environmental Research Letters.

The new data show that countries such as China, for example, which did not report its 2019 aviation-related emissions, were second only to the United States when it came to total aviation-related emissions.

"Now we have a much clearer picture of aviation emissions per country, including previously unreported emissions, which tells you something about how we can go about reducing them," said Helene Muri, a research professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's Industrial Ecology Programme. Muri was one of Klenner's supervisors and a co-author of the paper.

Big surprises—or not

As might be expected, the United States is at the top of the list of emitters when it comes to the total sum of aviation emissions for both international and domestic flights.

"When we looked at how emissions are distributed per capita, we could see that economic well-being leads to more aviation activity," Klenner said.

That analysis also showed that wealthy Norway, with just 5.5 million people, was third place overall, just behind the US and Australia, when domestic emissions were calculated on a per-capita basis.

Klenner tested the model he developed for this analysis by using data from Norway. He published a paper reporting those results in 2022.

You might think that Norway's geography—a long, narrow country with lots of mountains and a sparsely populated northern area—would be the culprit behind the numbers. But Klenner's 2022 analysis showed that fully 50 percent of Norway's domestic flights were between the country's major cities, Oslo, Trondheim, Stavanger, Bergen, and Tromsø.

"The per person emissions in Norway were incredibly high," Muri, who also co-authored that paper, said. "With this data set, we can confirm that from a Norwegian perspective, we have a lot of work to do because we are third in the world when it comes to emissions per person from domestic emissions."

A role for big data

Anders Hammer Strømman, a professor at NTNU's Industrial Ecology Programme and Klenner's co-supervisor, said one important aspect of the study is that it shows how big data can be used to help regulate climate emissions. Strømman is also a co-author of the new paper.

"I think it very nicely illustrates the potential in this type of work, where we have previously relied on statistical offices and reporting loops that can take a year or more to get this kind of information," he said. "This model allows us to do instant emissions modeling—we can calculate the emissions from global aviation as it happens."

The model, called AviTeam, is the first to provide information for the 45 lesser-developed countries that have never inventoried their greenhouse gas emissions from aviation. Strømman says the model provides these countries with information that might be otherwise difficult or impossible for them to collect.

The abillity to calculate nearly real-time aviation emissions could also provide an important tool as the industry makes changes to de-carbonize.

"In the transition where we're talking about the introduction of new fuels and new technologies, this type of big data allows us to identify those types of corridors or operations where it makes sense to test those strategies first," Strømman said.

Journal information: Environmental Research Letters

Provided by Norwegian University of Science and Technology

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Big data reveals true climate impact of worldwide air travel

Global aviations emissions reporting requirements under the unfcc treaty don't show the real impact of air travel.

For the first time ever, researchers have harnessed the power of big data to calculate the per-country greenhouse gas emissions from aviation for 197 countries covered by an international treaty on climate change.

When countries signed the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change treaty, high-income countries were required to report their aviation-related emissions. But 151 middle and lower income countries, including China and India, were not required to report these emissions, although they could do so voluntarily.

This matters because the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change relies on country reports of emissions during negotiations on country-specific emissions cuts.

"Our work fills the reporting gaps, so that this can inform policy and hopefully improve future negotiations," says Jan Klenner, a PhD candidate at NTNU's Industrial Ecology Programme and the first author of the new article, which was recently published in Environmental Research Letters.

The new data show that countries such as China, for example, which did not report its 2019 aviation-related emissions, was second only to the United States when it came to total aviation-related emissions.

"Now we have a much clearer picture of aviation emissions per country, including previously unreported emissions, which tells you something about how we can go about reducing them," said Helene Muri, a research professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's Industrial Ecology Programme. Muri was one of Klenner's supervisors and a co-author of the paper.

Big surprises -- or not

As might be expected, the United States is at the top of the list of emitters when it comes to the total sum of aviation emissions for both international and domestic flights.

"When we looked at how emissions are distributed per capita, we could see that economic well-being leads to more aviation activity," Klenner said.

That analysis also showed that wealthy Norway, with just 5.5 million people, was third place overall, just behind the US and Australia, when domestic emissions were calculated on a per-capita basis.

Klenner tested the model he developed for this analysis by using data from Norway. He published a paper reporting those results in 2022.

You might think that Norway's geography -- a long, narrow country with lots of mountains and a sparsely populated northern area -- would be the culprit behind the numbers. But Klenner's 2022 analysis showed that fully 50 per cent of Norway's domestic flights were between the country's major cities, Oslo, Trondheim, Stavanger, Bergen and Tromsø.

"The per person emissions in Norway were incredibly high," Muri, who also co-authored that paper, said. "With this data set we can confirm that from a Norwegian perspective we have a lot of work to do, because we are third in the world when it comes to emissions per person from domestic emissions."

A role for big data

Anders Hammer Strømman, a professor at NTNU's Industrial Ecology Programme and Klenner's co-supervisor, said one important aspect of the study is that it shows how big data can be used to help in regulating climate emissions. Strømman was also a co-author of the new paper.

"I think it very nicely illustrates the potential in this type of work, where we have previously relied on statistical offices and reporting loops that can take a year or more to get this kind of information," he said. "This model allows us to do instant emissions modeling -- we can calculate the emissions from global aviation as it happens."

The model, called AviTeam, is the first to provide information for the 45 lesser-developed countries that have never inventoried their greenhouse gas emissions from aviation. Strømman says the model provides these countries with information that might be otherwise difficult or impossible for them to collect.

The abillity to calculate nearly real-time aviation emissions could also provide an important tool as the industry makes changes to de-carbonize.

"In the transition where we're talking about the introduction of new fuels and new technologies, this type of big data allows us to identify those types of corridors or operations where it makes sense to test those strategies first," Strømman said.

• Energy Policy
• Environmental Policy
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• Environmental Policies
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• Surveillance
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Climate change mitigation
• Air pollution
• Polyethylene
• Geologic temperature record
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• Consensus of scientists regarding global warming
• Sulfur hexafluoride

Story Source:

Materials provided by Norwegian University of Science and Technology . Original written by Nancy Bazilchuk. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference :

• Jan Klenner, Helene Muri, Anders H Strømman. Domestic and international aviation emission inventories for the UNFCCC parties . Environmental Research Letters , 2024; 19 (5): 054019 DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ad3a7d

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It'll be the first major deal holiday of the year, so it's an awesome chance to score summer discounts on big-ticket items and household staples. The retailer's 10th Prime Day event has officially been announced to arrive in July, but the actual days are still unknown. In the meantime, we're keeping tabs on all of the latest Prime Day news, and we'll keep you updated with our findings here.

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When is Amazon Prime Day 2024?

Amazon Prime Day is officially coming this July, though the exact days have not yet been announced. In past years, it kicked off on the second Tuesday of the month. If Amazon follows the same trend, it will take place on July 9 and 10. We'll keep this story updated as more details are announced.

What is Amazon Prime Day?

Amazon Prime Day is the retailer's annual mega sale and one of the major benefits of Prime membership. It's a two-day sales event, usually during the summer, that features products from every category, from fashion staples to hot new tech. 

Though it used to be a deal holiday of a much smaller scale, Prime Day has grown exponentially since the first one in 2015. Now, you can find almost everything on sale for all-time low prices, matching discounts we see during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

What should I buy during Amazon Prime Day?

Everything is fair game to buy during Amazon Prime Day. Whether you've been holding out on a pricey new TV or just need to stock up on toiletries, Prime Day is a good time to make your move. 

Last year, we saw incredible prices on tech, including 4K TVs , Fire TV streaming devices , Apple products, Kindle e-readers , PC gaming accessories, Echo smart speakers , and top headphones picks. Prime Day tech deals featured brands like Logitech, Bose, Jabra, Sony, Roku, Samsung, TCL, and more. 

If you're looking for style and beauty deals during Prime Day, last year, brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Tatcha, Laneige, Levi's, Carhartt, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Adidas, and Marc Jacobs all featured products at rare low prices. That means skincare, makeup, shoes, men's clothing, women's fashion, and accessories will all be available for less. 

Home and kitchen products saw no shortage of Prime Day deals either, with big names like Dyson, Shark, iRobot, Philips, KitchenAid, Nespresso, Casper, Leesa, and OXO down to all-time lows for the event. So, whether you need an air fryer , robot vacuum , mattress , or just some sturdy mixing bowls, Prime Day is a good time to buy. 

You don't need to be focused on fancy new gadgets or treatments to shop smart during Amazon Prime Day either. We also catch tons of affordable household essentials available for even less every year, like toilet paper, dish soap, doggy bags, and makeup wipes. These deals are sweet, since they save you money on stuff you needed to buy anyway. 

How long do Prime Day deals last?

How long a Prime Day deal lasts differs between items, but in general, the best discounts will start during the event and end before the 48-hour holiday is over. Some will last the whole two days while others will only last one, so it's always wise to act on a good sale when you see it. Lightning deals especially go fast, the most popular of which dwindle away in less than an hour.

I always recommend buying a product you've had your eye on as soon as it's highlighted as a Prime Day deal. Regardless of how long it's set to last, oftentimes the best sales run out of stock, resulting in shipping dates being pushed out, or the deal no longer being offered at all. We'll be providing all of the deal context you need to shop confidently and quickly, so be sure to check our roundups of the best discounts when the event rolls around. 

Do you need to be a Prime member to shop Amazon Prime Day?

Amazon Prime Day is locked to Prime members only. It's one of the major benefits of subscribing to the service, in addition to other perks like free two-day shipping and Prime Video streaming. 

If you have yet to become a member, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial to test it out. Once the official Prime Day dates have been announced, you can even time your free period to overlap with the sale, but it's not a guarantee since sometimes retailers will lock out free members from shopping the best deals.

Do other stores participate in Prime Day?

Although Prime Day is an Amazon-specific event, it's grown so large that other major retailers have started kicking off competing sales to overlap with it. No one has announced a competing Prime Day sale just yet, but if past years are any indication, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy will likely be holding their own events.

These are definitely worth checking out; they often match the best deals on popular items you can find from Prime Day. We'll also be rounding these deals up so you can shop from the retailer that best suits you, whether you're a Target Circle cardholder, My Best Buy Plus member, or Walmart Plus subscriber. 

Is Prime Day an international event?

Prime Day occurs in several other countries, but not all of them. Here's a list of countries where Prime Day will be available to shop:

• Netherlands
• Saudi Arabia
• The United Arab Emirates
• The United States
• The United Kingdom

Want to see what Amazon has on sale right now? We've spotted some hefty price cuts on electronics, fashion, home, kitchen, laptops, and more on its main deals page .

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