US: Number of 2016 holiday fliers on US airlines expected to rise 3.5%
About 45.2m passengers are expected to fly globally on US airlines during the 21-day holiday period from Dec. 16 through Jan. 5, up 3.5% from the same period in 2015, according to the leading airline trade group. Airlines for America said on average this means 73,000 more passengers are expected to fly daily, and the airlines are projected to offer a collective 99,000 additional seats per day—a 3.9 % increase over the winter holiday period last year. The group credits an improving economy and lower airfares for driving the growth in air travel. John Heimlich, chief economist for the trade group, said 2015 was a record year for travel on US airlines, topping the peak set in 2007. Based on data filed with the government for the first eight months of 2016, he said, traffic is up 3.5% from the prior-year period. If that trend holds, this year could set a record, he said. The trade group expects the busiest travel days to be Dec. 22 and Dec. 23, when daily volumes could hit 2.4m fliers. The lightest days should be Dec. 24, 25, 31 and Jan. 1, when volumes could fall to 1.8m travelers. On average, U.S. airlines carry about 2.2m passengers per day throughout the year. Ahead of Thanksgiving 2016, the trade group estimated that the number of travelers would rise 2.5% from the year-earlier holiday to 27.3m, making it one of the busiest November holiday seasons.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2016-12-09/general/us-number-of-2016-holiday-fliers-on-us-airlines-expected-to-rise-3-5
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US: Number of 2016 holiday fliers on US airlines expected to rise 3.5%
About 45.2m passengers are expected to fly globally on US airlines during the 21-day holiday period from Dec. 16 through Jan. 5, up 3.5% from the same period in 2015, according to the leading airline trade group. Airlines for America said on average this means 73,000 more passengers are expected to fly daily, and the airlines are projected to offer a collective 99,000 additional seats per day—a 3.9 % increase over the winter holiday period last year. The group credits an improving economy and lower airfares for driving the growth in air travel. John Heimlich, chief economist for the trade group, said 2015 was a record year for travel on US airlines, topping the peak set in 2007. Based on data filed with the government for the first eight months of 2016, he said, traffic is up 3.5% from the prior-year period. If that trend holds, this year could set a record, he said. The trade group expects the busiest travel days to be Dec. 22 and Dec. 23, when daily volumes could hit 2.4m fliers. The lightest days should be Dec. 24, 25, 31 and Jan. 1, when volumes could fall to 1.8m travelers. On average, U.S. airlines carry about 2.2m passengers per day throughout the year. Ahead of Thanksgiving 2016, the trade group estimated that the number of travelers would rise 2.5% from the year-earlier holiday to 27.3m, making it one of the busiest November holiday seasons.<br/>
