U.S. airline traffic declined in 2009

WASHINGTON, March 29 (UPI) -- The Department of Transportation said passengers flying on U.S. carriers and on all flights to and from the United States fell 5.3 percent in 2009 from 2008.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics said U.S. airlines flew 5.2 percent fewer passengers on domestic flights last year and 6.3 percent fewer passengers on international flights. Passengers carried by foreign carriers that arrived or departed from U.S. airports fell by 4.8 percent last year, the bureau said.

Passenger traffic in both categories -- domestic carriers and foreign flights involving U.S. airports -- fell in 10 of 12 months last year, compared to the same months of 2008, the bureau said.

The largest decline was a February 2009 drop of 12.4 percent from February 2008.

But the decline slowed significantly from one half of the year to the other. In the first six months of 2009, passenger traffic fell 9 percent compared to January through June of 2008. In the second half of the year, traffic was down 1.4 percent compared to the same period in the previous year.