US airlines see 2021 traffic jump, but below pre-pandemic levels

US passenger airlines carried 670.4m passengers in 2021, up 83% over 2020 levels but still down significantly from pre-coronaviruspandemic levels, the Transportation Department said Monday. The department in preliminary data said airlines carried 303.6m more passengers in 2021 but 245.9m fewer, or 27%, than in 2019. In 2019, domestic flights accounted for 88% of all passengers, while domestic trips accounted for 91% of all passengers in 2021, and international flights accounted for 9%. In December, US airlines carried 66.3m passengers, 118% more than the same month in 2020 and 16% fewer than in December 2019. US air passenger travel fell by 60% in 2020 to the lowest level since 1984, down 549m passengers over 2019. Airlines for America, an industry trade group, said air travel was down 25% in late January, with domestic flights down 23% and international air travel down 38% and business travel still remains down about 51% over pre-pandemic levels. The group said its members were operating 14% fewer flights in January below pre-pandemic levels. The TSA said in the week ending Feb. 13, it screened 24% fewer passengers than 2019 levels. Airlines around the world are expressing optimism that travel will rebound this spring and summer as the Omicron variant's spread diminishes. <br/>