Thursday, April 23, 2009 - The number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines and on flights to and from the United States on foreign airlines declined in 2008 by 3.5 percent from 2007, dropping to 809 million, the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today reported.

BTS, a part of DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, in a release of preliminary data, reported that U.S. airlines carried 3.7 percent fewer total system passengers in 2008 than in 2007. U.S. airlines carried 4.3 percent fewer domestic passengers in 2008 and 1.2 percent more international passengers than in 2007. Passengers to and from the United States on foreign carriers decreased 1.5 percent from 2007.

This release includes data on U.S. carrier scheduled domestic and international service and foreign carrier scheduled international service to and from the United States . BTS regular monthly air traffic releases include data on U.S. carrier scheduled service only.

Total passengers on U.S. airlines and on foreign airlines to and from the United States declined in each of the last nine months of 2008 from the same month in 2007. The largest decline of 12.8 percent took place in November.