An airline trade and lobby group said United States airlines would carry 222 million passengers between June 1 and Aug. 31, topping the summer of 2007 when 217.6 million people flew. This summer’s figure includes 31 million travelers on international flights, also a record. The group, Airlines for America, said that on average there would be 2.4 million passengers a day, 4.5 percent more than last summer. United States airlines also are adding 4.6 percent more seats this summer. This decision has given pause to some Wall Street analysts, who worry that airlines might have to discount fares to fill them. But so far, that hasn’t happened. The average round-trip domestic ticket this summer, including taxes, is now $454, down less than 1 percent from last summer.
Source: NY Times
