Air Travel Demand Increases for April

According to a report last week from the Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, passenger revenue was up by as much as twelve percent for the month of April of this year versus the numbers from the same time last year.

The association indicated that, based on their data from a group of Air Carriers in the United States, this is the 16th consecutive month of revenue growth for the airline and air travel industry.

“Growth in air travel spending at the start of the second quarter bodes well for U.S. economic recovery. ATA forecasts 1.5 percent more passengers will fly during the summer months and is optimistic that strong international demand will help offset volatile fuel costs,” said ATA Vice President and Chief Economist John Heimlich.

In addition to the volume of passengers traveling by airline, the average price of air travel also increased. According to the report, there was a nine percent rise in the average ticket price.

The travel number increases were seen in all areas for the U.S. airlines with Domestic travel up 8.6 percent, trans-Atlantic travel up a whopping 27 percent, travel to the Pacific grew by 5.5 percent. The Latin American market grew by 24 percent in volume, but also saw a 16 percent increase in the ticket price at the same time.