Airline traffic is picking up again with the fourth month in a row of year-over-year gains in passengers, according to the Air Transport Association, a trade group that represents most domestic carriers. May totals were 6.6 percent ahead of May 2003, the ATA said.
But a report from the U.S. Department of Transportation tells another part of the story. A low-fare airline topped the monthly domestic passenger-traffic rankings for the first time last month, replacing the major network carriers .
Southwest Airlines carried 6.5 million domestic passengers last month, more than any other airline. A year earlier, Southwest ranked third behind Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. In April, Southwest ranked second behind Delta.
Southwest's top ranking in domestic passenger traffic culminates a long-trend of growth by low-fare carriers and lesser dominance by network carriers. In May 1990, for example, seven network carriers — American, Delta, US Air, United Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Continental Airlines and TWA — carried more domestic passengers than the 1.9 million carried by Southwest.
Airline traffic is picking up again with the fourth month in a row of year-over-year gains in passengers, according to the Air Transport Association, a trade group that represents most domestic carriers. May totals were 6.6 percent ahead of May 2003, the ATA said.
But a report from the U.S. Department of Transportation tells another part of the story. A low-fare airline topped the monthly domestic passenger-traffic rankings for the first time last month, replacing the major network carriers .
Southwest Airlines carried 6.5 million domestic passengers last month, more than any other airline. A year earlier, Southwest ranked third behind Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. In April, Southwest ranked second behind Delta.
Southwest's top ranking in domestic passenger traffic culminates a long-trend of growth by low-fare carriers and lesser dominance by network carriers. In May 1990, for example, seven network carriers — American, Delta, US Air, United Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Continental Airlines and TWA — carried more domestic passengers than the 1.9 million carried by Southwest.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/busi...0_dunphy17.html
But a report from the U.S. Department of Transportation tells another part of the story. A low-fare airline topped the monthly domestic passenger-traffic rankings for the first time last month, replacing the major network carriers .
Southwest Airlines carried 6.5 million domestic passengers last month, more than any other airline. A year earlier, Southwest ranked third behind Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. In April, Southwest ranked second behind Delta.
Southwest's top ranking in domestic passenger traffic culminates a long-trend of growth by low-fare carriers and lesser dominance by network carriers. In May 1990, for example, seven network carriers — American, Delta, US Air, United Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Continental Airlines and TWA — carried more domestic passengers than the 1.9 million carried by Southwest.
Airline traffic is picking up again with the fourth month in a row of year-over-year gains in passengers, according to the Air Transport Association, a trade group that represents most domestic carriers. May totals were 6.6 percent ahead of May 2003, the ATA said.
But a report from the U.S. Department of Transportation tells another part of the story. A low-fare airline topped the monthly domestic passenger-traffic rankings for the first time last month, replacing the major network carriers .
Southwest Airlines carried 6.5 million domestic passengers last month, more than any other airline. A year earlier, Southwest ranked third behind Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. In April, Southwest ranked second behind Delta.
Southwest's top ranking in domestic passenger traffic culminates a long-trend of growth by low-fare carriers and lesser dominance by network carriers. In May 1990, for example, seven network carriers — American, Delta, US Air, United Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Continental Airlines and TWA — carried more domestic passengers than the 1.9 million carried by Southwest.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/busi...0_dunphy17.html
