Airline and Aviation Industry News - Trends

A4A said it expects U.S. airlines will carry close to 209 million passengers globally from June through August, an increase of 1 percent from the same period in 2012. The system-wide summer estimate includes 27 million international passengers, a record number for U.S. airlines.

Airlines reported no tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights, but one tarmac delay of more than four hours on an international flight in March, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report released today.

In a year which saw a modest 3.7% decline in Air Taxi operations according to data from the FAA, midsize and larger private charter jets retained their popularity while moderate air charter buyers made a move to more economical aircraft in general.

The largest scheduled passenger airlines reported a net loss of $145 million in the fourth quarter of 2012, improved from a loss of $602 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)

Ticket transactions for the first four months of 2013 also remained flat at -0.61 percent over the same period in 2012 at 51.3 million. Year-to-date passenger segments decreased 1.91 percent to 115.3 million compared to 117.5 million in the four months of 2012 and 116.5 million in 2011.

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The European Travel Commission (ETC) announced that the first quarterly report on European Tourism in 2013 - Trends & Prospects has just been published. International arrivals and nights to Europe for the first months of 2013 point to a slower, but continued growth for most of the reporting destinations. As 2012 was a strong year for tourism, Europe’s modest upward trend confirms the health of its tourism sector against overall economic turmoil.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced global passenger traffic results for March showing strong demand growth led by emerging markets with all regions showing gains. Total traffic rose 5.9% compared to March 2012.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released figures showing that air freight markets weakened in March, and that the improvement in air cargo growth rates that began towards the end of 2012 has stalled.

The average domestic air fare declined to $374 in the fourth quarter of 2012, down 0.2 percent from the average fare of $375 in the fourth quarter of 2011, measured in 2012 dollars (Table 1), the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today. Huntsville, Ala., had the highest average fare, $544, while Atlantic City, N.J., had the lowest, $157