U.S. Airlines June 2021 Passengers Increased 304% from June 2020 but Still Declined 21% from Pre-Pandemic June 2019 (Preliminary)
U.S. airlines carried 304% more scheduled service passengers in June 2021 than in June 2020 (preliminary), according to data filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by 21 airlines that carry more than 90% of passengers.
The 21 airlines carried 66.4 million passengers in June 2021 (preliminary), compared to 16.4 million passengers in June 2020 and the low of 3.0 million in April 2020, which was the lowest monthly total in BTS records dating back to 1974. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the previous low was 14.6 million passengers in February 1975.
In June 2021, the airlines carried 21% fewer total passengers, 17% fewer domestic passengers and 45% fewer international passengers than in pre-pandemic June 2019 when there were 83.8 million passengers systemwide.
The airlines carried 21% more passengers in June 2021 than in May 2021 (55M).
Preliminary June 2021 passenger numbers (21 carriers reporting):
- Total: 66.4 million passengers, up 304% from June 2020 (16.4 M)
- Domestic: 60.3 million passengers, up 276% from June 2020 (16.0 M)
- International: 6.1 million passengers, up 1450% from June 2020 (0.4 M)
U.S. airline traffic reports are filed monthly with BTS. Final June data will be released on September 17. Complete international data by origin and destination, which is under a six-month confidentiality restriction, will be released on December 16.
Systemwide Passengers
- June 2021 passengers: 4M
- Change from June 2020: 304%
- Percent of June 2020 passengers: 404%
- Change from April 2020 low: +63.4M passengers
Table 1: Systemwide Percent Change in US Airlines Scheduled Service Passengers from the Same Month of the Previous Year, 2017-2021
| Year-to-Year Percent Change | ||||
| 2017 – 2018 | 2018 – 2019 | 2019 – 2020 | 2020 – 2021 | |
| January | 3.0 | 5.2 | 5.7 | -61.5 |
| February | 5.8 | 4.2 | 6.7 | -60.8 |
| March | 4.6 | 6.4 | -51.3 | 9.5 |
| April | 6.0 | 3.9 | -96.1 | 1492.3 |
| May | 6.1 | 5.3 | -90.1 | 614.9 |
| June | 6.2 | 3.7 | -80.3 | 304* |
| July | 6.4 | 3.7 | -72.4 | |
| August | 6.3 | 3.5 | -69.8 | |
| September | 7.1 | 5.7 | -65.2 | |
| October | 5.0 | 4.2 | -61.8 | |
| November | 5.7 | 0.5 | -60.7 | |
| December | 4.8 | 8.9 | -61.5 | |
| Jan – Jun | 5.3 | 4.8 | -54.6 | 30.9 |
| Annual | 5.6 | 4.6 | -60.2 | |
Domestic Passengers
- June 2021 passengers: 3M
- Change from June 2020: 276%
- Percent of 2020 passengers: 376%
- Change from April 2020 low: +57.4M passengers
- Domestic percent of total June 2021 passengers: 91%
- Domestic percent of total June 2020 passengers: 98%
Table 2: Domestic Percent Change in US Airlines Scheduled Service Passengers from the Same Month of the Previous Year, 2017-2021
| Year-to-Year Percent Change | ||||
| 2017 – 2018 | 2018 – 2019 | 2019 – 2020 | 2020 – 2021 | |
| January | 3.3 | 5.3 | 6.2 | -60.6 |
| February | 6.0 | 4.2 | 7.5 | -59.1 |
| March | 4.2 | 6.7 | -51.0 | 14.3 |
| April | 7.0 | 3.8 | -95.7 | 1426.5 |
| May | 6.6 | 5.3 | -89.0 | 569.1 |
| June | 6.6 | 3.6 | -77.9 | 275.6* |
| July | 7.2 | 3.9 | -69.6 | |
| August | 6.9 | 3.5 | -67.1 | |
| September | 7.2 | 5.9 | -62.7 | |
| October | 5.0 | 4.3 | -59.9 | |
| November | 5.8 | 0.3 | -59.4 | |
| December | 5.0 | 9.6 | -60.9 | |
| Jan – Jun | 5.7 | 4.8 | -53.7 | 34.0 |
| Annual | 5.9 | 4.6 | -58.7 | |
International Passengers
- June 2021 passengers: 1M
- Change from June 2020: 1450%
- Percent of 2020 passengers: 1550%
- Change from April 2020 low: +6M passengers
- International percent of total June 2021 passengers: 9%
- International percent of total June 2020 passengers: 2%
Table 3: International Percent Change in US Airlines Scheduled Service Passengers from the Same Month of the Previous Year, 2017-2021
| Year-to-Year Percent Change | ||||
| 2017 – 2018 | 2018 – 2019 | 2019 – 2020 | 2020 – 2021 | |
| January | 1.3 | 4.8 | 2.1 | -67.5 |
| February | 4.8 | 3.8 | 1.0 | -73.4 |
| March | 7.4 | 3.8 | -53.3 | -25.7 |
| April | -0.6 | 4.7 | -98.6 | 2923.3 |
| May | 2.7 | 5.7 | -98.1 | 2528.7 |
| June | 3.7 | 4.3 | -96.4 | 1449.8* |
| July | 1.9 | 2.3 | -90.4 | |
| August | 2.5 | 3.9 | -87.5 | |
| September | 6.3 | 4.7 | -83.7 | |
| October | 4.6 | 3.4 | -77.3 | |
| November | 5.0 | 2.4 | -70.3 | |
| December | 3.6 | 4.0 | -66.0 | |
| Jan – Jun | 3.2 | 4.5 | -60.7 | 5.3 |
| Annual | 3.5 | 4.0 | -70.4 | |
Reporting Notes
Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial U.S. air carriers detailing operations, passenger traffic and freight traffic. This release includes data received by BTS from U.S. airlines as of August 11.
See the BTS Airlines and Airport page for additional U.S. airlines numbers through May 2021 for U.S. airlines. International data by origin and destination is available through February 2021.
None of the data are from samples. Measures of statistical significance do not apply to the complete air traffic data.
