US airline passenger volume rises but down 21% from pre-pandemic levels

US airlines carried 66.4m passengers in June, three times the June 2020 volume but still down 21% from pre-pandemic levels, the US DoT said Tuesday. The largest 21 US airlines that handle more than 90% of all US traffic carried 9.2m more passengers in June than the 57.2m passengers transported in May. The department said June domestic passengers were down 17% while international passengers were down 45%. The TSA said Tuesday that for the seven days ending Monday airline passengers screened were down 22% over the same period in 2019. Airlines for America, an industry trade group, says U.S. airlines are operating 17% fewer domestic flights over 2019 levels and 35% fewer international flights. As a result, the group says current average domestic load factors -- 89% -- are identical to prepandemic levels. The Biden administration has not lifted travel restrictions that bar much of the world from entering the United States, including most non-UScitizens who have been in China, India, Iran, South Africa, Brazil, the United Kingdom and much of Europe within the last 14 days.<br/>