DOT: Record 965 million air travelers in 2017
The US commercial aviation market is edging toward a one billion passenger milestone.
A record 965 million passengers flew on airlines in and out of the country in 2017, according to Department of Transportation data.
That is up 3.4% on the 933 million who flew in 2016.
The DOT broke it down to 741.6 million passengers who took domestic flights and 223.4 million passengers on international flights that departed or arrived in the US.
The numbers include journeys on US and foreign airlines.
Atlanta, Los Angeles and Chicago O’Hare were the busiest air hubs, while Southwest Airlines flew the most with 157.7 million passengers.
Next were Delta Air Lines American and United Airlines which all carried more than 100 million passsengers each, followed by a large gap down to JetBlue’s 40 million.
More than 50 million passenger journeys were by regional affiliate carriers SkyWest and Republic which operate regional brands for the big three carriers, but were recorded separately by the DOT.
DOT data showed British Airways carried more passengers in and out of the US than any other foreign carrier.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Overseas travelers to the United States declined by 2.5% in 2025