US airline passenger traffic down 62% in October - DOT

US airlines carried 62% fewer passengers in October over the same month last year, the US DoT said Tuesday. The 62% decline from October 2019 was the smallest year-to-year decrease since March when the coronavirus pandemic slashed US travel demand. The largest airlines carried 29.9m passengers in October, down from 78.3m passengers in October 2019. US domestic demand was down 60% and international demand was off 77%. Airlines for America, an industry group, said this week it estimates that through late November passenger demand remains down 62%. A spike in COVID-19 cases and guidance from US health agencies urging Americans to avoid holiday travel has led to a recent softening in travel demand. International travel demand has also been harmed by US travel restrictions that bar most non-US visitors who have recently been in the EU, United Kingdom, China and Brazil from visiting the US. Airlines are hoping vaccine prospects will start lifting demand throughout 2021 but do not expect a full recovery for some time.<br/>