US Passenger Numbers Rose 3.4 Pct In 2017

Airlines operating US flights carried a record 965 million passengers in 2017, a 3.4 percent increase on the previous year.

The US Department of Transportation reported that passenger numbers on international flights operated by US and foreign carriers rose by 4.8 percent, with the number on domestic flights up by 3 percent. The domestic passenger total was 741.6 million in 2017, while international numbers reached a record high of 223.4 million.

Breaking the numbers down further, US airlines carried 3.1 percent more passengers - 849 million - system-wide and international carriers flew 6.1 percent more US passengers - 115.7 million - than in 2016.

The top three US airlines in terms of passengers carried was unchanged from the previous year, Southwest was busiest with 157.7 million, Delta came in at 145.6 million, with American a close third on 144.9 million.

On international routes, American, United and Delta led the pack, the same as the previous year. The busiest international airlines on US routes were British Airways in 5th, Lufthansa in 6th and Air Canada in 8th overall.

Atlanta retained the top spot as the busiest US airport, with 50.2 million passengers departing in 2017, a 0.5 percent drop on the previous year. Los Angeles was second with 41.2 million, up 4.0 percent, and Chicago O'Hare came third on 38.5 million, a 2.7 percent increase.

New York JFK remained the busiest airport for international passengers, with just over 16 million departing, a 2.5 increase. Los Angeles, however, saw the biggest increase in international departing passengers with 12.05 million in 2017, an 8.6 percent jump.