Airlines for America (A4A) projects that U.S. airlines will carry a record-setting 167.1 million travelers (~2.7 million each day) during the 2024 spring travel period, March 1 – April 30. This new record will mark a 6 percent increase over the 2023 spring travel season when 157.4 million travelers (~2.6 million each day) took to the skies.

To accommodate this record volume of travelers, U.S. airlines are offering more flights and larger airplanes compared to last year. With 24,500 scheduled flights per day around the globe and the average aircraft with 137 seats, airlines are working around the clock to meet the growing demand.


“U.S. airlines are meeting the record demand of this spring by having the right people in the right places and offering passengers more seats aboard larger aircraft,” said Rebecca Spicer, A4A Senior Vice President of Communications. “We encourage travelers to take advantage of technological upgrades carriers have made in their mobile apps so they can stay up to date on their latest flight announcements, baggage tracking, inflight entertainment and more.”

With scheduled departures up 4 percent, U.S. passenger carriers are flying more seats to accommodate demand. U.S. airlines have also been hiring aggressively to ensure the right people are in the right place at the right time. Over the course of 2023, job growth at U.S. passenger airlines (up 7.5 percent) outpaced the overall economy (up 2 percent) by nearly four to one.