Airline passenger experience in the U.S. - statistics & facts
No country flies more passengers than the United States. In the last two decades, the number of passengers carried by U.S. airlines grew from 700 million in 2004 to almost one billion in 2024. Although the pandemic caused a drop in air travel in 2020, passenger numbers began rebounding the following year and exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 2023. This renewed surge has led to more crowded airports and busier flights. This has resulted in numerous challenges for both airlines and airports, which found themselves grappling with increased demand, coupled with staff shortages — particularly in air traffic control.
