US Passes 750K Daily Air Travelers Over July 4 Weekend

US Passes 750K Daily Air Travelers Over July 4 Weekend

245

A few months ago demand for air travel began to plummet, as we’ve seen airlines cut capacity unlike ever before. During that time I’ve been keeping an eye on passenger numbers, as it’s interesting to see how demand is evolving.

The pace at which travel by air is recovering is surprising to most, as we keep hitting new pandemic records in terms of the number of travelers every week.

July 4 weekend is historically a really busy weekend for air travel, so how was it in the coronavirus era? Well, really busy, setting a new record since the pandemic started, as we saw the most travelers we’ve seen since March 18:

  • Last Thursday we saw 764K+ daily air travelers, the most we’ve seen in well over three months
  • We “only” saw a 63.4% drop in passenger traffic compared to the same day last year, which is also the smallest drop we’ve seen in a few months

With US airlines having surpasses 750K travelers, it seems like the next major milestone is a million daily travelers, and I’d guess we may very well get to that within a month or so.

TSA data on how many people are flying

How has traffic through US airports changed over the past several weeks? Well, rather helpfully the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been publishing data on how many passengers have passed through US airport checkpoints each day, with a comparison to how many traveled on the same day of the week last year.

It’s interesting to take an updated look at this data, as we are seeing new records every week, as demand for air travel slowly and steadily increases.

Below I’ll share passenger data for the past several weeks. Note that:

  • The comparison is to the same day of the week last year (since passenger demand is highly dependent on the day of the week)
  • I’ll show a percentage in parenthesis with each date, representing the percent of people traveling this year compared to last year (for example, if it shows 5%, that means that 5% as many people are traveling this year compared to last year, so there has been a 95% decline)

Here’s the data on passenger numbers in recent weeks:

  • Sunday, March 22: 454,516 vs. 2,542,643 (~17.9%)
  • Monday, March 23: 331,431 vs. 2,434,370 (~13.6%)
  • Tuesday, March 24: 279,018 vs. 2,151,913 (~13%)
  • Wednesday, March 25: 239,234 vs. 2,273,811 (~10.5%)
  • Friday, March 27: 199,644 vs. 2,538,384 (~7.9%)
  • Saturday, March 28: 184,027 vs. 2,172,920 (~8.5%)
  • Sunday, March 29: 180,002 vs. 2,510,294 (~7.2%)
  • Monday, March 30: 154,080 vs. 2,360,053 (~6.5%)
  • Tuesday, March 31: 146,348 vs. 2,026,256 (~7.2%)
  • Wednesday, April 1: 136,023 vs. 2,151,626 (~6.3%)
  • Thursday, April 2: 124,021 vs. 2,411,500 (~5.1%)
  • Friday, April 3: 129,763 vs. 2,476,884 (~5.2%)
  • Saturday, April 4: 118,302 vs. 2,011,715 (~5.9%)
  • Sunday, April 5: 122,029 vs. 2,462,929 (~4.9%)
  • Monday, April 6: 108,310 vs. 2,384,091 (~4.5%)
  • Tuesday, April 7: 97,130 vs. 2,091,056 (~4.6%)
  • Wednesday, April 8: 94,931 vs. 2,229,276 (~4.3%)
  • Thursday, April 9: 104,090 vs. 2,487,398 (~4.2%)
  • Friday, April 10: 108,977 vs. 2,590,499 (~4.2%)
  • Saturday, April 11: 93,645 vs. 2,059,142 (~4.5%)
  • Sunday, April 12: 90,510 vs. 2,446,801 (~3.7%)
  • Monday, April 13: 102,184 vs. 2,484,580 (~4.1%)
  • Tuesday, April 14: 87,534 vs. 2,208,688 (~4.0%)
  • Wednesday, April 15: 90,784 vs. 2,317,381 (~3.9%)
  • Thursday, April 16: 95,085 vs. 2,616,158 (~3.6%)
  • Friday, April 17: 106,385 vs. 2,457,133 (~4.3%)
  • Saturday, April 18: 97,236 vs. 1,988,205 (~4.9%)
  • Sunday, April 19: 105,382 vs. 2,356,802 (~4.5%)
  • Monday, April 20: 99,344 vs. 2,594,171 (~3.8%)
  • Tuesday, April 21: 92,859 vs. 2,227,475 (~4.2%)
  • Wednesday, April 22: 98,968 vs. 2,254,209 (~4.4%)
  • Thursday, April 23: 111,627 vs. 2,526,961 (~4.4%)
  • Friday, April 24: 123,464 vs. 2,521,897 (~4.9%)
  • Saturday, April 25: 114,459 vs. 1,990,464 (~5.8%)
  • Sunday, April 26: 128,875 vs. 2,506,809 (~5.1%)
  • Monday, April 27: 119,854 vs. 2,412,770 (~5.0%)
  • Tuesday, April 28: 110,913 vs. 2,102,068 (~5.3%)
  • Wednesday, April 29: 119,629 vs. 2,256,442 (~5.3%)
  • Thursday, April 30: 154,695 vs. 2,499,461 (~6.2%)
  • Friday, May 1: 171,563 vs. 2,546,029 (~6.7%)
  • Saturday, May 2: 134,261 vs. 1,968,278 (~6.8%)
  • Sunday, May 3: 170,254 vs. 2,512,598 (~6.8%)
  • Monday, May 4: 163,692 vs. 2,470,969 (~6.6%)
  • Tuesday, May 5: 130,601 vs. 2,106,597 (~6.2%)
  • Wednesday, May 6: 140,409 vs. 2,270,662 (~6.2%)
  • Thursday, May 7: 190,863 vs. 2,555,342 (~7.5%)
  • Friday, May 8: 215,444 vs. 2,602,631 (~8.3%)
  • Saturday, May 9: 169,580 vs. 1,985,942 (~8.5%)
  • Sunday, May 10: 200,815 vs. 2,419,114 (~8.3%)
  • Monday, May 11: 215,645 vs. 2,512,315 (~8.6%)
  • Tuesday, May 12: 163,205 vs. 2,191,387 (~7.5%)
  • Wednesday, May 13: 176,667 vs. 2,343,675 (~7.5%)
  • Thursday, May 14: 234,928 vs. 2,611,324 (~9.0%)
  • Friday, May 15: 250,467 vs. 2,664,549 (~9.4%)
  • Saturday, May 16: 193,340 vs. 2,091,116 (~9.2%)
  • Sunday, May 17: 253,807 vs. 2,620,276 (~9.7%)
  • Monday, May 18: 244,176 vs. 2,615,691 (~9.3%)
  • Tuesday, May 19: 190,477 vs. 2,312,727 (~8.2%)
  • Wednesday, May 20: 230,367 vs. 2,472,123 (~9.3%)
  • Thursday, May 21: 318,449 vs. 2,673,635 (~12.0%)
  • Friday, May 22: 348,673 vs. 2,792,670 (~12.5%)
  • Saturday, May 23: 253,190 vs. 2,124,825 (~11.9%)
  • Sunday, May 24: 267,451 vs. 2,070,716 (~12.9%)
  • Monday, May 25: 340,769 vs. 2,512,237 (~13.6%)
  • Tuesday, May 26: 264,843 vs. 2,453,649 (~10.8%)
  • Wednesday, May 27: 261,170 vs. 2,269,035 (~11.5%)
  • Thursday, May 28: 321,776 vs. 2,485,770 (~12.9%)
  • Friday, May 29: 327,133 vs. 2,570,613 (~12.7%)
  • Saturday, May 30: 268,867 vs. 2,117,180 (~12.7%)
  • Sunday, May 31: 352,947 vs. 2,555,578 (~13.8%)
  • Monday, June 1: 353,261 vs. 2,499,002 (~14.1%)
  • Tuesday, June 2: 267,742 vs. 2,247,421 (~11.9%)
  • Wednesday, June 3: 304,436 vs. 2,370,152 (~12.8%)
  • Thursday, June 4: 391,882 vs. 2,623,947 (~14.9%)
  • Friday, June 5: 419,675 vs. 2,649,808 (~15.8%)
  • Saturday, June 6: 353,016 vs. 2,225,952 (~15.9%)
  • Sunday, June 7: 441,255 vs. 2,669,860 (~16.5%)
  • Monday, June 8: 430,414 vs. 2,644,981 (~16.3%)
  • Tuesday, June 9: 338,382 vs. 2,433,189 (~13.9%)
  • Wednesday, June 10: 386,969 vs. 2,509,058 (~15.4%)
  • Thursday, June 11: 502,209 vs. 2,675,686 (~18.8%)
  • Friday, June 12: 519,304 vs. 2,727,860 (~19.0%)
  • Saturday, June 13: 437,119 vs. 2,318,946 (~18.8%)
  • Sunday, June 14: 544,046 vs. 2,642,083 (~20.6%)
  • Monday, June 15: 534,528 vs. 2,699,580 (~19.8%)
  • Tuesday, June 16: 417,924 vs. 2,466,574 (~16.9%)
  • Wednesday, June 17: 441,829 vs. 2,552,395 (~17.3%)
  • Thursday, June 18: 576,514 vs. 2,728,786 (~21.1%)
  • Friday, June 19: 587,908 vs. 2,772,903 (~21.2%)
  • Saturday, June 20: 507,129 vs. 2,378,559 (~21.3%)
  • Sunday, June 21: 590,456 vs. 2,719,643 (~21.7%)
  • Monday, June 22: 607,540 vs. 2,716,428 (~22.4%)
  • Tuesday, June 23: 471,421 vs. 2,506,510 (~18.8%)
  • Wednesday, June 24: 494,826 vs. 2,594,661 (~19.1%)
  • Thursday, June 25: 623,624 vs. 2,711,222 (~23.3%)
  • Friday, June 26: 632,984 vs. 2,730,515 (~23.2%)
  • Saturday, June 27: 546,310 vs. 2,368,846 (~23.1%)
  • Sunday, June 28: 633,810 vs. 2,632,030 (~24.1%)
  • Monday, June 29: 625,235 vs. 2,455,536 (~25.5%)
  • Tuesday, June 30: 500,054 vs. 2,347,767 (~21.3%)
  • Wednesday, July 1: 626,516 vs. 2,547,889 (~24.6%)
  • Thursday, July 2: 764,671 vs. 2,088,760 (~36.6%)
  • Friday, July 3: 718,988 vs. 2,184,253 (~32.9%)
  • Saturday, July 4: 466,669 vs. 2,345,846 (~19.9%)
  • Sunday, July 5: 732,123 vs. 2,795,369 (~26.2%)

It’s probably worth clarifying that the above doesn’t paint the full picture of people traveling, since this only accounts for people being screened at US airports. For example, it doesn’t account for those arriving in the US from other countries and not connecting onwards.

Demand for air travel is recovering (slowly)

While we’re nowhere close to pre-COVID-19 traffic levels, demand for air travel is slowly and consistently increasing in the US, at a faster rate than most people were expecting.

A few observations based on the above data:

  • The past few months represent new record lows for traffic in over a decade
  • Tuesday, April 14, 2020, represented a new low for passenger traffic, with under 88,000 passengers; seeing the dip below 100,000 daily passengers is something I never thought I’d see
  • Demand fell significantly between between March 22 and April 12, even though in theory people were already social distancing and sheltering in place; for example, passenger numbers compared to last year decreased from an 82.1% drop to a 96.3% drop
  • Airline CEOs are largely claiming that demand bottomed out in early April, and the data seems to support that

Expect flights to be full

Airlines are doing things to make flying safer, or at least make it appear that flying is safer — from requiring face masks, to often misleadingly promoting social distancing — though many would argue that it’s still not responsible to fly for fun.

One common misconception continues to be that planes are flying empty given how much demand has dropped. This simply isn’t the case, so if you are planning on flying in the coming weeks expect planes to be full.

While demand has dropped significantly, airlines have also cut capacity, so I’d expect flights to continue to be full. You’ve been warned.

Bottom line

The demand for air travel has dropped significantly, which is expected. Demand is slowly but consistently starting to increase, though it’ll be a while until we’re back to 2019 levels.

Last Thursday we saw over 750K air travelers in the US for the first time in over three months. Not only that, but we also saw the smallest percentage drop compared to the same day last year.

Now the big question is when the US will pass one million daily air travelers.

Does this TSA data surprise you?

Conversations (245)
The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.
Type your response here.

If you'd like to participate in the discussion, please adhere to our commenting guidelines. Anyone can comment, and your email address will not be published. Register to save your unique username and earn special OMAAT reputation perks!

  1. Alfred Robert Hogan Guest

    I want flights reserved/rationed for serious purposes only, until electric airplanes are the rule and/or algae-based jet fuel, and the evil TSA is abolished. The No. 1 climate crisis demands we do this as part of ourt collective response. Four-fifths of people on Earth now have never flown in an airplane. The last of my 12 non-trivial flights starting in June 1984 was in October 1993, and I have abided by flygskam since then, barring...

    I want flights reserved/rationed for serious purposes only, until electric airplanes are the rule and/or algae-based jet fuel, and the evil TSA is abolished. The No. 1 climate crisis demands we do this as part of ourt collective response. Four-fifths of people on Earth now have never flown in an airplane. The last of my 12 non-trivial flights starting in June 1984 was in October 1993, and I have abided by flygskam since then, barring a life-or-death emergency such as being medevaced to an STC hospital from an accident scene. This eco decsion has cost me myriad opportunities in my journalism career. Ace teen eco champion/ethical vegan Greta Thunberg on this point, as on virtually all else, is spot-on. (I have been vegan since Friday 1 January 1993.) Our planet's biosphere is at stake--and we are rapidly racing toward the cliff of no return.

  2. Jim Harris Guest

    any new update on the number of people flying ? Really like seeing the numbers.

  3. Sean Guest

    I honestly think it's way easier to get covid at the airport. That's why so many tsa agents have tested positive, most recently at Atlanta airport.

  4. tassojunior Guest

    Some people been locked down too long. I had no trouble realizing the number was the % of former travelers and I liked it fine.

    Air travel is much safer than gyms, bars, indoor restaurants, theaters, etc and they're all opening. Certainly safer than a grocery store. (Bars are the #1 source of the uptick.)

    Europe opened everything 100% no limits July 1. They will have a huge uptick.

  5. Cmorgan Gold

    Anise? Suicidal? Really? Where do you come up with this stuff. It’s safer to fly right now than almost any other form of transportation because of the steps being taken by the airline industry. Open your eyes and stop spreading misinformation.

  6. James Guest

    TSA numbers for 2020 and 2019
    This page will be updated by 9 a.m. Monday - Friday.

    Date
    6/29/2020 625,235 2,455,536
    6/28/2020 633,810 2,632,030
    6/27/2020 546,310 2,368,846
    6/26/2020 632,984 2,730,515
    6/25/2020 623,624 2,711,222
    6/24/2020 494,826 2,594,661
    6/23/2020 471,421 2,506,510
    6/22/2020 607,540 2,716,428
    6/21/2020 590,456 2,719,643

    James

  7. surfdolfin Guest

    LUCKY: Where are the latest #'s ?? It's been a week. Thanx!

  8. Katherine Whitley Guest

    Concur with Anise above. The wildebeeste affect, jumping off cliffs during migration in Kenya! Middle seats to be sold! Greed and danger. RED ALERT! Wake up Americans, its not just in the USA, its all over the world. Why do you think we are not allowed to fly to Europe right now or in near future, because we are stooooopid! Settle down, this is going to get worse and thanks so much for being the...

    Concur with Anise above. The wildebeeste affect, jumping off cliffs during migration in Kenya! Middle seats to be sold! Greed and danger. RED ALERT! Wake up Americans, its not just in the USA, its all over the world. Why do you think we are not allowed to fly to Europe right now or in near future, because we are stooooopid! Settle down, this is going to get worse and thanks so much for being the ones to spread it even more! DRIVE SOMEWHERE if you have to travel! This was my business for 50 years and if anyone wants and longs to get on a plane, its me, but no way now!

  9. Anise Leinen Guest

    As of today-- June 28, 2020-- anyone who gets on a plane right now if they have ANY other choice is suicidal. Period. End of story. There are plenty of people making staggeringly bad decisions every minute of every day, so some people will be flying when they don't absolutely need to be. But there is simply no way for any rational human being to believe it's a good idea to do this unless they...

    As of today-- June 28, 2020-- anyone who gets on a plane right now if they have ANY other choice is suicidal. Period. End of story. There are plenty of people making staggeringly bad decisions every minute of every day, so some people will be flying when they don't absolutely need to be. But there is simply no way for any rational human being to believe it's a good idea to do this unless they simply have no other choice. Maybe it was at least possible to argue otherwise back when this article was originally written, but the argument is over now for anyone capable of rational thought. The cases, hospitalizations, and projected deaths are skyrocketing beyond anything seen before, and the exponential growth in infections continues daily. There's something eerie and disturbing about anyone trying to even claim otherwise now, like watching people run off a cliff while claiming gravity doesn't exist.

  10. jim Guest

    I really enjoy to see these updates. Please continue posting. It's great to see an improvement in the numbers but it will be a long time before there is any profits in the industry. Basically, until the business travel comes back. I heard business travel (12%) accounts for 75% of the airlines profit.

  11. James Guest

    @Josh, since airlines are operating at 10%-20% capacity from last March, it should roughly scale to about 210K to 420K actual passengers.

    What I think a lot of people are missing is that those non-stops and quick connections aren't as abundant and more are going landside during longer connections. That, I think, is skewing the numbers.

    Add in all the deadheading staff and you get what is a "total figure" that isn't really representative...

    @Josh, since airlines are operating at 10%-20% capacity from last March, it should roughly scale to about 210K to 420K actual passengers.

    What I think a lot of people are missing is that those non-stops and quick connections aren't as abundant and more are going landside during longer connections. That, I think, is skewing the numbers.

    Add in all the deadheading staff and you get what is a "total figure" that isn't really representative porportionatly to the 2019 figures. If the totals were broken down, we would have a better representation of unique passengers traveling.

    I enjoy a cigar and on a connection of several hours will pass through TSA several times. On 2+ connections I may pass through TSA a half-dozen times between origin & final destination. I am but one passenger on one itinerary flying on a single day but I would be counted 6 times.

    The numbers don't truly reflect how many unique passengers are actually flying and without the data they are based on, pretty much worthless.

    James

  12. Josh Guest

    How many of these people are airline employees vs. travelers? Would be interesting to find out that data here. At the end of the day I am not traveling anywhere until a vaccine as been made for this virus! Not going to take any chances here with it!

  13. Jan Guest

    I'm here for another round of sanctimonious judgment from the comments. @derek's did not disappoint.

  14. derek Diamond

    Half of the people traveling are killers. They are potentially spreading Covid-19 and killing people. If urgent or a health care worker, I understand the need to fly. To fly for leisure helps airlines but kills people.

    I am usually pro-travel. All my business travel is down to zero. I won't fly for leisure. Sorry, Delta and American. I am not here to kill others. (Today, I read of a teenager who died. Previously healthy. Now dead).

  15. Ralph Guest

    Look at it this way. My being at the airport gives CNN 1 more viewer, which God knows they desperately need, and sure as hell won't get if I'm at home and I can control what's on the TV.

  16. Cmorgan Gold

    Peteco and Terrified are either trolls or a sad reflection of current state of affairs

    Imagine being so dumb!

    A taste of your own medicine.

  17. Ralph Guest

    What a glorious weekend this is shaping up to be! Got off of work early. Got the chainsaw out and cut down some trees along the house. Sprayed the brush with Roundup. Tomorrow I'm going on a mileage run. Need a few segments. There are some ridiculously cheap fares available. #livinglife

  18. Jan Guest

    @Jerry I don't know if you're out of the loop, but after reading OMAAT comments, literally every MAGA-hat wearing, not-mask-wearing, salon-visiting Karens and Kyles are the ones flying. It must be true because most commenters here have very big brains.

  19. Jerry Guest

    I'm guessing nearly 100% of business travel is still shut down, so I still cannot figure out who the heck is traveling and why.

  20. Super VC10 Gold

    Remind me again. Which of the world's countries has the highest number of COVID-19 cases? Oh right, the United States, where 21 states are experiencing a sharp increase in the number of infections.

    By all means, Americans, do go jump on an airplane. But just fly within your own borders, please. Spare the rest of us.

  21. Simon Gold

    https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/19/private-jet-flights-surge-on-health-fears-lower-prices.html

    Commercial traffic is running about 15% to 17% of last year’s totals, but private flights are running at up to 70% or more of normal, according to industry data and Private Jet Card Comparisons.

  22. Realist1K Guest

    There is one reason and one reason alone why the US (and soon to be Brazil and Russia) are so incredibly bad at managing this pandemic. We all know what that is.

    Add in that a good chunk of the population who have no concept of what the greater good means, or why small sacrifices today make for better days tomorrow and well, there you go. 2MM infected, 115K dead, and counting. People bitching...

    There is one reason and one reason alone why the US (and soon to be Brazil and Russia) are so incredibly bad at managing this pandemic. We all know what that is.

    Add in that a good chunk of the population who have no concept of what the greater good means, or why small sacrifices today make for better days tomorrow and well, there you go. 2MM infected, 115K dead, and counting. People bitching about masks when we as a country NEVER locked down, JFC, what a bunch of loser pussies. If putting on a mask is a personal Vietnam War for you, you really are a pansy ass bitch who needs to learn how to suck it up. Keep being clueless, keep being selfish, and keep being stupid. Pray it's not your mom, grandpa, sweet neighbor, or mentor who dies next, because wearing a mask and being uncomfortable is far more important than some stranger's (or not) life.

  23. Katherine Whitley Guest

    A couple of sneezes travelling at 200mph across an airplanes interior - and a few coughs - there we go - right back where we started. Majority of people dont know hygiene - especially third world countries who travel worldwide spreading that on airplanes. Have you seen a sneeze in slow motion? And Mr smart guy goes without a mask. Thanks for your respect - all of you flying without a mask. I stay home...

    A couple of sneezes travelling at 200mph across an airplanes interior - and a few coughs - there we go - right back where we started. Majority of people dont know hygiene - especially third world countries who travel worldwide spreading that on airplanes. Have you seen a sneeze in slow motion? And Mr smart guy goes without a mask. Thanks for your respect - all of you flying without a mask. I stay home cause I can hardly go 2 hours with a mask before claustrophobia and hyperventilating kicks in. Something should have been done after SARS and EBOLA, but no, the airlines kept on going with no CDC sanctions. Call it political, I call it COMMON SENSE fly safe if you are going to fly - Mr Mellinial! Respect those also travelling as they have to for family reasons.

  24. cargocult Guest

    @Ray, the fact that you say this isn't political just shows how deluded or disingenuous you are. Of course it is political. When lockdown hysterics say to "follow the science," they don't actually mean follow the science. They mean to prostrate yourself in front of their favored experts and politicians. Public officials openly lied to the public about masks and admitted it soon after. If everyone had worn masks from the very beginning and governors...

    @Ray, the fact that you say this isn't political just shows how deluded or disingenuous you are. Of course it is political. When lockdown hysterics say to "follow the science," they don't actually mean follow the science. They mean to prostrate yourself in front of their favored experts and politicians. Public officials openly lied to the public about masks and admitted it soon after. If everyone had worn masks from the very beginning and governors had "followed the science" and taken measures to protect the most vulnerable, i.e. nursing home residents, we wouldn't be in this mess. Instead, the virus was allowed to freely spread in New York and elderly, sick patients were ordered back to nursing homes. Why do you think the death counts are so high and with a very high median age of decedents? Any dissent from the party line was not tolerated and the media were complicit in trying to scare the public into thinking that a young, healthy person was at just as much risk of dying as an 80-year old with hypertension and heart disease. You claim to be scientifically informed, but I doubt you have any statistical training or else you wouldn't be saying what you are. You are Innumerate just like the rest. It turns out that shamed Mr. Ferguson of Imperial model infamy and his fellow experts on SAGE weren't even recommending lockdown for the entire UK population in March. And have you examined his model, held together with Scotch tape? Again, I have to assume you haven't, as your writing is purely political blathering with no evidence to back it up. The US is ninth in per capita COVID-19 deaths. Ahead of the US are all Western European countries with socialized medicine you think are so much more enlightened than the US. Why does the idea of others carrying on with their lives bother you so much? Do you have a job guaranteed by the state such that you don't need to worry about where your next paycheck will come from? Even Cuomo changed his tune from "just one life" to "people are going to die." ANYONE WHO IS VULNERABLE OR AFRAID CAN STAY HOME. Trying to make this issue into "MAGA/Christians R so DUMB" does not make you seem more enlightened. I didn't vote for Trump, I am not Christian, and I doubt you've read more about evolution and atheism than I have. You are clearly the kind of person who thinks he knows better than everyone else and is willing to ruin their lives to try to prove it. In a couple weeks I'll be enjoying the beauty of Venice without having to fight the usual sweaty throngs while Ray is holed up at home, smugly enjoying the smell of his own farts. #YOLO!

  25. Sarah Guest

    Just mention that you’re updating an old post. How difficult is that?

  26. Ray Gold

    All you deniers with your American tough guy image, your false sense this is political, your feeling the rest of the world falls at your feet: I realize this is all about you. Yes, you might be young and healthy and it won’t harm you. But please do tell us when you take it to others and they end up suffering for months in a hospital only to eventually die a harsh death. And no,...

    All you deniers with your American tough guy image, your false sense this is political, your feeling the rest of the world falls at your feet: I realize this is all about you. Yes, you might be young and healthy and it won’t harm you. But please do tell us when you take it to others and they end up suffering for months in a hospital only to eventually die a harsh death. And no, you won’t be enjoying Venice soon. Europe recognizes the US education system mixed with the failing education system has created a time bomb. This is why I chose to leave the stupidity brewing in the US. Just look at the top 5 countries on the John Hopkins chart in cases, all led by ignorance. But of course I am sure you still think the Earth was made in six days and on the seventh he rested or maybe the Red Sea parred or one of those other truly scientific theories.

  27. Notbad41 Member

    @ sunviking82. Fly whenever you want. This is all political now.

  28. cargocult Guest

    @Guru Singh

    YOU should stay grounded. How many times do you need to be told that the air on a plane is cleaned as well or better than in an operating room? How many times do you need to be told that the risk of dying if you are relatively young and healthy is minimal? If you can't accept the risk, don't go out, but I don't know how you accept driving on the roads...

    @Guru Singh

    YOU should stay grounded. How many times do you need to be told that the air on a plane is cleaned as well or better than in an operating room? How many times do you need to be told that the risk of dying if you are relatively young and healthy is minimal? If you can't accept the risk, don't go out, but I don't know how you accept driving on the roads or even chewing food if you are so scared. As for guaranteeing $1 million to anyone who gets sick, that is just preposterous. How would you even prove such a thing? Before COVID-19 did you demand that any business you entered pay you if you got sick later? You realize that deadly flu viruses have been circulating in the population forever, don't you? Your alarmism and safetyism are a bane on society.

    @Katherine Whitley

    Yes, stay at home. Don't ever leave. Ever. Please.

    I look forward to enjoying Venice without the vulgarian swarms.

  29. Katherine Whitley Guest

    I totally concur and I think the video they show on the flights these day should demonstrate how to sneeze (into your arm fully, not side ways, so nodules can still fly out. Cought with a hack, GET OFF THE PLANE! period...........pax should be scrutinized while in the waiting area for coughs and sneezes. People are not honest, they are selfishly getting to where they want to go. Screw the rest of us.
    Restaurants...

    I totally concur and I think the video they show on the flights these day should demonstrate how to sneeze (into your arm fully, not side ways, so nodules can still fly out. Cought with a hack, GET OFF THE PLANE! period...........pax should be scrutinized while in the waiting area for coughs and sneezes. People are not honest, they are selfishly getting to where they want to go. Screw the rest of us.
    Restaurants are doing a great job on distancing, so lets see the airlines do the same! And I was such the flyers for work, globally! Im staying home!

  30. Guri Singh Guest

    A few things to share:

    Air inside a closed chamber is cleaned well but a sneeze near or around you will get to you.

    Social distancing is not possible on the plane unless there is

    P E E A P E E
    E E P A E E P
    P E E A P E E

    where
    P is a passenger
    A is aisle
    E is empty

    The...

    A few things to share:

    Air inside a closed chamber is cleaned well but a sneeze near or around you will get to you.

    Social distancing is not possible on the plane unless there is

    P E E A P E E
    E E P A E E P
    P E E A P E E

    where
    P is a passenger
    A is aisle
    E is empty

    The following is NOT safe even with a mask.

    P E P A P E P
    P E P A P E P

    Toilets are not safe unless cleaned every time someone uses it.

    Where are 500,000 people flying?

    Who is to blame when someone falls sick and dies?

    Airlines HAVE TO state they are safe.
    I want AIRLINES to give in writing that they will pay $1 million if someone falls sick.

    They cannot do that, because they cannot guarantee it.

    They quietly updated their terms of flying to include no liability if you fall sick.

    Please don't fly just yet.
    Lets lower our numbers and get it close to 0 and then lets start with domestic flying.

    We should stay grounded.

  31. sunviking82 Guest

    Some of us need to fly. I have elderly parents, one in hospice care and the other in a retirement community in the NE USA. I fly to see them, be with them. . .even looking through a window because it might be the last time I see them alive.

    So drop all your smug far left /right wings, you know better than everyone else attitudes. A LOT of us in the center are...

    Some of us need to fly. I have elderly parents, one in hospice care and the other in a retirement community in the NE USA. I fly to see them, be with them. . .even looking through a window because it might be the last time I see them alive.

    So drop all your smug far left /right wings, you know better than everyone else attitudes. A LOT of us in the center are following the CDC guidelines with out making ourselves out to be better than everyone else.

    GROW UP and PUT YOUR MASK ON AND SHUT UP, We are trying to save lives and still have one.

  32. cargocult Guest

    @Terrified and people like him are welcome to stay at home. Why is he terrified? What does he not understand about an American under 50 having a 1 in 3,077 chance of dying if he gets infected with the virus? To be clear, you have to catch the virus first to face those odds, and that includes all the morbidly obese and immuno-compromised. If you are healthy, your odds of dying from the virus are...

    @Terrified and people like him are welcome to stay at home. Why is he terrified? What does he not understand about an American under 50 having a 1 in 3,077 chance of dying if he gets infected with the virus? To be clear, you have to catch the virus first to face those odds, and that includes all the morbidly obese and immuno-compromised. If you are healthy, your odds of dying from the virus are obviously even lower. Keep wetting your bed at home, Terrified. You do you!

  33. Reaper Guest

    Lucky, if not already, this post will set your record for traffic/effort.

    You’ll be adding one line and reposting it for months!

  34. Terrified Guest

    This is terrifying.

    You guys still have 20k+ cases DAILY, and everyone seems to think the danger is over. The world is watching you all closely.

    I saw a video of Vegas casinos packed as usual, with no masks and very little social distancing!

  35. peteco Guest

    @George and @Willy either trolls or a sad reflection of current state of affairs

    Imagine being so dumb

  36. Bob Guest

    Willy and George are the same person right?

  37. George Guest

    @Willy - that's what I do. Works great.

    I predicted 1M a day by 4th of July weekend, seems like things are ramping up FAST.
    Very exciting.

    @David - who cares? Seriously? No one who will died of Covid is flying. Those people should be locked away for years while this happens. The rest of us have lives to live.

  38. David Diamond

    @Willy
    Which is why your COVID numbers plateaued a while ago and now seems to be going back up. Good job ruining it for everyone else in the country.

    The USA will likely be banned from entering other countries as borders open, or be subjected to 14 day quarantines.

  39. Willy Guest

    I flew this past weekend to go to the beach in Virginia. I entered every airport and transited CLT and DCA without ever putting on a mask. I put on a mask to get on/off the planes but removed it once there. About half of the other travelers did the same. The CLT connection bank out at the RJ gates was a zoo pretty much like pre-Covid and I would say 25% of passengers, crew...

    I flew this past weekend to go to the beach in Virginia. I entered every airport and transited CLT and DCA without ever putting on a mask. I put on a mask to get on/off the planes but removed it once there. About half of the other travelers did the same. The CLT connection bank out at the RJ gates was a zoo pretty much like pre-Covid and I would say 25% of passengers, crew and employees were using masks. Everyone else was happily going about their business. It was refreshing. I'm quite happy that all the loser worriers are sitting at home. Let's hope they stay there for quite a while.

  40. Jeff Guest

    I began flying once I did my own analysis of the numbers. I had been anxiously awaiting the antibody tests. Covid antibody studies by USC, Stanford, New York and Biobot showed plainly that the number of people who had already had the virus was somewhere in 50x range, meaning that about 50x those who had tested positive, were actually the real number infected. It's really just a simple math problem. That drastically affected the stated...

    I began flying once I did my own analysis of the numbers. I had been anxiously awaiting the antibody tests. Covid antibody studies by USC, Stanford, New York and Biobot showed plainly that the number of people who had already had the virus was somewhere in 50x range, meaning that about 50x those who had tested positive, were actually the real number infected. It's really just a simple math problem. That drastically affected the stated mortality rate as it is calculated at deaths as a percentage of positives. So when you multiply the known cases by a multiple so high, it brings down the actual mortality rate to somewhere close to the flu, which was what I thought from the beginning. So for me to begin to fly, I needed to understand the numbers and understand the risk. I didn't want to listen to the 'experts' who were wrong most of the time anyway. For me, the antibody tests were why I began to be counted among the numbers you quote by TSA. And I am going to personally continue to boost those numbers in the weeks and months to come.

  41. cargocult Guest

    @KD

    Oh, I just realized you said I lied about a CDC CFR of 0.26%. Reading comprehension, my innumerate friend. I said INFECTION FATALITY RATE. I then explained how to calculate that rate given the CDC's best-estimate CFR of 0.4%. Keep making baseless accusations. "Because science."

  42. cargocult Guest

    Safetyists like @KD get so angry when the numbers don't confirm their disaster scenarios.

    From the CDC:

    https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/planning-scenarios.html

    The CDC's "Current Best Estimate" of "Symptomatic Case Fatality Ratio" is 0.004. Its "Percent of infections that are asymptomatic" is 35%. With those two pieces of information and the magic of math, we can arrive at the infection fatality rate (0.004 * (1 - 0.35) = 0.26%).

    The mainstream media like to report just the headline death...

    Safetyists like @KD get so angry when the numbers don't confirm their disaster scenarios.

    From the CDC:

    https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/planning-scenarios.html

    The CDC's "Current Best Estimate" of "Symptomatic Case Fatality Ratio" is 0.004. Its "Percent of infections that are asymptomatic" is 35%. With those two pieces of information and the magic of math, we can arrive at the infection fatality rate (0.004 * (1 - 0.35) = 0.26%).

    The mainstream media like to report just the headline death numbers to instill fear. Why don't they explore the age-stratified statistics? The CDC best estimate CFR for those 50-64 is 0.2% and 0.05% for 0-49. Those imply IFRs of 0.13% and 0.0325%, respectively. In terms of odds of dying, those mean 1 in 769 and 1 in 3,077, respectively.

    https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/all-injuries/preventable-death-overview/odds-of-dying/

    The odds of dying from choking on food are 1 in 2,618. Good God, we must ban chewing immediately! Everyone must get feeding tubes! We have a feeding tube shortage! Save us, Jebus! Shame on anyone who thinks chewing his food is okay!

    Here are some links to studies arriving at IFRs that accord with what I just demonstrated (not that lockdown hysterics actually care about the "science"):

    https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.05.13.20101253v2
    https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.08.20057729v1.full.pdf

    The real tragedy of the lockdown was that the most vulnerable were not actually protected from infection. Instead, people like Gov. Cuomo ordered patients sick with COVID-19 to be taken into nursing homes, the very populations that needed the protection. So, the economy was ruined (and by economy, I mean the livelihoods of millions of people; maybe you think Americans will be okay, but what about the Bangladeshis who depend on clothing orders from the US and now are receiving nothing?) while the lives people like Cuomo claimed to be trying to save were endangered by his very orders. Read this ProPublica examination of the differences in how California and New York handled the pandemic:

    https://www.propublica.org/article/two-coasts-one-virus-how-new-york-suffered-nearly-10-times-the-number-of-deaths-as-california

    Cuomo and de Blasio have blood on their hands.

    Flying is safe. It is the contagions of innumeracy, safetyism and collectivism that are truly threats to humanity.

  43. Ray Gold

    @George: you state: :@Ray I love how socialism creeps into a thread about how many people are flying…."

    Trust me, it wasn't creeping in, it stepped right in because it was relevant to the thinking of people in the US vs many other countries/cultures and how they handled the lockdowns. Americans still don't want to accept they still are #1 in one major area and that is turning a blind eye to the CV19 virus...

    @George: you state: :@Ray I love how socialism creeps into a thread about how many people are flying…."

    Trust me, it wasn't creeping in, it stepped right in because it was relevant to the thinking of people in the US vs many other countries/cultures and how they handled the lockdowns. Americans still don't want to accept they still are #1 in one major area and that is turning a blind eye to the CV19 virus and how it affects the people in their society. They simply think of themselves and not the society as a whole. One more step in showing how they treat the elderly. If you haven't seen what this does to the human body, I ask you to do a search online and read up on the devastation and pain of those suffering. But I only ask in jest, as I know that would require some empathy and as we see from your leader, you have zero.

    Once you find the search bar on your computer, please follow up and read the differences between Socialism and Communism or even Fascism while you are there.

  44. KD Guest

    @cargocult: Your 0.26% CFR is not a CDC statistic and you know it. Quit making up bullsh!t to support your nonsense arguments.

    I dare you to post a reputable link that backs your claim.

  45. Richard Guest

    It is starting to pick up that I have noticed in my travels last month and I see where Delta is bringing some more 737-900er's from being parked later this month.

  46. cargocult Guest

    @Commenting Commenter

    Americans are largely innumerate and the so-called elite are not immune from this failing. Innumeracy among the ruling and chattering classes certainly contributed to the lockdown debacles.

    It is you who are factually incorrect about the Nordic model. The Nordic states are capitalist with high taxation. They succeed in spite of their collectivist tendencies, not because of them. The capitalist reforms of Sweden in the 1990s are well known and were necessary after...

    @Commenting Commenter

    Americans are largely innumerate and the so-called elite are not immune from this failing. Innumeracy among the ruling and chattering classes certainly contributed to the lockdown debacles.

    It is you who are factually incorrect about the Nordic model. The Nordic states are capitalist with high taxation. They succeed in spite of their collectivist tendencies, not because of them. The capitalist reforms of Sweden in the 1990s are well known and were necessary after decades of economic stagnation under collectivism. If you don't believe me, maybe you'll believe that right-wing rag known as the Washington Post.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/democrats-use-nordic-nations-as-models-of-socialism-they-actually-involve-a-lot-of-capitalism/2019/06/24/b6d9bbdc-945c-11e9-b58a-a6a9afaa0e3e_story.html

  47. Commenting Commenter Member

    After reading all the comments in this article, the failure of the American education system is pretty evident. Percentages and the ~ symbol are school math/arithmetic. We're certainly doomed… If it's not addition or subtraction, people freak out. You don't have to change anything, Lucky. Your article is just fine.

    @George, you state, "That said, since you brought it up: Socialism is a disaster. Not only are there no 1st world countries that practice it...

    After reading all the comments in this article, the failure of the American education system is pretty evident. Percentages and the ~ symbol are school math/arithmetic. We're certainly doomed… If it's not addition or subtraction, people freak out. You don't have to change anything, Lucky. Your article is just fine.

    @George, you state, "That said, since you brought it up: Socialism is a disaster. Not only are there no 1st world countries that practice it – but the worst dictators in history have come from these backgrounds."

    This is factually incorrect. You have (most of) the Scandinavian countries, which are not only socialist but monarchies, the two things that Americans are scared of the most. Yet their quality of life and standard of living is much higher than ours. The Nordic countries rank higher in basically all metrics. Yet we pretend in the USA to be #1 in the world.

    I think the word "socialism" and "communism" are confusing to you (don't worry… they are to most Americans too). I think you meant to say "communism."

  48. cargocult Guest

    I've flown five segments since late May, three of them international. I have no fear of getting COVID-19 while flying, but I wear a mask on board as required. Most people don't realize that the ventilation systems on airplanes are as good as or better than those found in operating rooms. You are at very low risk of catching a respiratory illness unless you are sitting right next to someone who openly sneezes or coughs....

    I've flown five segments since late May, three of them international. I have no fear of getting COVID-19 while flying, but I wear a mask on board as required. Most people don't realize that the ventilation systems on airplanes are as good as or better than those found in operating rooms. You are at very low risk of catching a respiratory illness unless you are sitting right next to someone who openly sneezes or coughs. Even then you are not necessarily going to get sick. I'd certainly feel safer sitting on a crowded plane than standing (or kneeling or prostrating myself) in the middle of a crowded anti-racist protest with people chanting and yelling. "Silence is violence" in that context is exactly the opposite of reality given that speaking loudly and continuously produces potentially infectious aerosols and droplets. Since this is not typical passenger behavior on planes, we have yet to see a super-spreader event occur on one. In a few weeks I'll be flying to Italy. Bedwetters and lockdown hysterics are free to stay at home, cowering in mortal fear of a virus that has an infection fatality rate of 0.26% according to the CDC's own data, while I "live my best life."

  49. Jeff Guest

    Thank you for posting the numbers. I want to see them. But I also believe it is possible that the demand is being squelched just a bit by the limited number of flights. When the airlines begin to add more capacity, these numbers will go even higher. But it is a fine line for the airlines, for sure. They are enjoying higher fares for the moment and will have to lower them once routes and...

    Thank you for posting the numbers. I want to see them. But I also believe it is possible that the demand is being squelched just a bit by the limited number of flights. When the airlines begin to add more capacity, these numbers will go even higher. But it is a fine line for the airlines, for sure. They are enjoying higher fares for the moment and will have to lower them once routes and frequencies are added. Still, the flying public is resilient and I'm glad to see fear waning. I've been flying for over a month now and excited to continue.

  50. TIm Guest

    I also enjoy seeing the updates. Keep ‘em coming! It’s nice to see us slowly crawling out of the hole. It will be nice to see us pass 1 Million passengers per day at some point. Maybe by late Fall?

  51. KevinS Guest

    @Bob

    Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?

    Of course we are going to be hitting new highs from historic lows, but it is interesting to see the speed of recovery. If that doesn't interest you, just ignore it.

  52. Jan Guest

    I, for one, like seeing this article get updated. Thank you editors.

  53. Simon Gold

    How much are these are healthcare workers relocating back to their home states after working contracts in the high case states though?

  54. Bob Guest

    So I guess until you have other actual content you're just going to recycle this article at least 2x a week? Obviously we will continue to hit "record highs" virtually every week until we get back to normal. This is no longer really news.

    1. Ben (Lucky) OMAAT

      @ Bob -- Other "actual" content? Did you miss the 50+ other stories I write a week? I update this post because I find the data interesting. Passenger numbers are increasing way faster than I was expecting, and way faster than many were expecting. If you don't find it interesting, don't click on the story.

  55. KevinS Guest

    These numbers are going up certainly faster then I expected.

  56. Anthony Thomas Guest

    You should consider doing what most people are doing for Covid numbers: a 7 day rolling average, as it smooths out spikes

  57. George Guest

    @James- nailed it man. The hypocrisy is amazing, not just from a political viewpoint, but, just from a human control / health standpoint.

    I'm sure we'll see no spikes, as... this virus has been massively overblown the entire time.
    At least in two weeks, when nothing happens... people might wake up to your point and say 'uhm, did we really worry about this for no reason at all??'

    @Ray I love how socialism creeps...

    @James- nailed it man. The hypocrisy is amazing, not just from a political viewpoint, but, just from a human control / health standpoint.

    I'm sure we'll see no spikes, as... this virus has been massively overblown the entire time.
    At least in two weeks, when nothing happens... people might wake up to your point and say 'uhm, did we really worry about this for no reason at all??'

    @Ray I love how socialism creeps into a thread about how many people are flying....

    That said, since you brought it up: Socialism is a disaster. Not only are there no 1st world countries that practice it - but the worst dictators in history have come from these backgrounds.

    There are no success stories with it, so, no one takes it seriously.
    If you believe in Santa, fine, but, adults with brains don't.

    --
    That said, 440k flying, love it!
    I am flying today again. I will miss the days of being the only guy on the plane, but, I'm glad to see more people ignoring the hysteria and using their brains.

    It's gratifying.

  58. Ray Gold

    @DCS-you are being generous by not throwing in a factor that would allow for those that are untested/unreported, etc. The world has no clue what the true numbers ever were, would have been, or will be in the upcoming round 2. Fall will be a fun time but at least governments know what precautions to put in place. The problem is people are the wild card and America is unable to understand the "we" vs "I" concept. That is why Socialism to them is so scary.

  59. DC Guest

    I’ve been flying DCA-LAX and LAX-DCA weekly for the last five weeks, and at least half of the pax are non-rev. Today it was about 40 out of 75.

  60. ML_TN Guest

    @UA-NYC - I hear what you are saying but I haven't believed polls since the last presidential election. The polls during that said that Hillary was going to annihilate Trump and look what happened. Since then, I basically just assume the inverse of whatever a poll is claiming to be true.

  61. UA-NYC Diamond

    @James - go have a look at swing state polling and come back here and try again. Hint - it's not going well for Agent Orange. Texas(!) is showing a statistical toss-up at this point. Zoinks! LOL.

  62. surfdolfin Guest

    Lucky & crew - appreciate your keeping this thread going and the current numbers.

  63. James Member

    Democrats are encouraging people to gather -- with no social distancing and half-arsed masks -- in a groups of thousands and thousands of people. In these huge groups, people are chanting and yelling -- literally the best way to spread the virus, and something that a cloth mask can't protect you from.

    Meanwhile, we are told that flying in a professionally cleaned plane with a hospital-grade HEPA filter constantly removing germs/viruses is "dangerous."

    ...

    Democrats are encouraging people to gather -- with no social distancing and half-arsed masks -- in a groups of thousands and thousands of people. In these huge groups, people are chanting and yelling -- literally the best way to spread the virus, and something that a cloth mask can't protect you from.

    Meanwhile, we are told that flying in a professionally cleaned plane with a hospital-grade HEPA filter constantly removing germs/viruses is "dangerous."

    Democrats are going to give Trump a landslide this fall, because they're spitting on everyone who gave up their lives for three months to "stop the spread."

  64. Jan Guest

    Since the population already said goodbye to social distancing with all the protests (every day), if we do see a significant second spike of Covid-19, then those getting it while flying would be a tiny drop in the bucket.

  65. The Original Donna Guest

    I read this week that American Airlines will be flying 55% of their routes in July as compared to 20% in May. Hopeful news that things are ramping back up quickly. Of course, the real test will be in late August if there is a second surge of the virus. Let’s pray there isn’t.

  66. Darren Guest

    One part me is happy to see that people are flying and making the best to stay and live normaly inspite of the pandemic, the other part, is absolutetly scared of possible more spreading and can cause more deaths..I try not live my fears but to focus on the positive aspects..life has to move on..a human being is meant to interact with its surroundings..I just try my best to protect myself and around me with...

    One part me is happy to see that people are flying and making the best to stay and live normaly inspite of the pandemic, the other part, is absolutetly scared of possible more spreading and can cause more deaths..I try not live my fears but to focus on the positive aspects..life has to move on..a human being is meant to interact with its surroundings..I just try my best to protect myself and around me with the health measures given(masks, social distancing, washing/showering oftenly) and be human and understanding to others and their anxiety. In the end we have to comply to rules or the pandemic will never stop..apart from a possible vaccine..whenever it will be possibly available..

  67. Sajin Guest

    I had flight from lax to dfw on AA . Full flight..but the whole aircraft looked sparkling clean and super friendly staff . Delta and American saying that theybwikk keep there 29 percent seat on board for social distancing. But I cant see this practically happening. FLIGHTS ARE DEFINITELY BUSY ...I think AA /Delts should add more flights and they should open their clubs tooo

  68. Daniel D Guest

    @ Icarus

    Hawaii has a mandatory 14-day quarantine on arrival extended to June 30, however :)

    For now it looks really bad, but wait until after the November election to write the country off. If Trump gets reelected however... it's going to take many years of struggle (and probably violence) to get the country back on track.

  69. Icarus Guest

    As for international travel , the incumbent kakistocracy has put an end to that as people simply won’t won’t to visit even if they can ...

    Sadly the US looks like a banana republic now.

    Rubber bullets , water cannon , tear gas , 40 million out of work , over 1 million sick , 100, 000 dead

    Very sad as there’s so much to the US
    Hawaii and Alaska appear the best options though

  70. Daniel D Guest

    @ Ben

    "Who has been flying? What date and was the seat next to you empty?"

    I flew on May 15 from SJC to SEA on Alaska. Seat was empty next to me on the flight there. On the return flight they let my wife sit next to me. Everyone on the plane was wearing a mask that I saw. In SEA airport it was more of a mixed bag with mask wearing but it also wasn't crowded.

    Also, I got tested on May 26 (my flight home was on May 23) and I tested negative.

  71. Daniel D Guest

    I think it's outdated to be shaming people who fly. I flew last month to house hunt for a planned move (planned before covid-19 hit). At any rate, the airlines have their act together now involving seat blocking and mask wearing so it's not so dangerous to fly anymore. Of course I flew from CA to WA... if you fly from say, Charlotte to Houston or something I don't know how well people are following the rules (plus then you'd be flying American or United!).

  72. DCS Diamond

    @George said: "So, we ruined the world for 1.3% of the NORMAL, NATURAL death rate"

    I will provide you with a different perspective to consider:

    Without any safety measures enacted ~35,000,000 would have gotten infected by April 27, i.e., *in just two months*. As of today, *with safety measures in place*, 339,000 have died out of at least 5,274,000 reported cases, Now ask yourself: how many would have died if ~35,000,000 had been infected by...

    @George said: "So, we ruined the world for 1.3% of the NORMAL, NATURAL death rate"

    I will provide you with a different perspective to consider:

    Without any safety measures enacted ~35,000,000 would have gotten infected by April 27, i.e., *in just two months*. As of today, *with safety measures in place*, 339,000 have died out of at least 5,274,000 reported cases, Now ask yourself: how many would have died if ~35,000,000 had been infected by April 27?

    I am sure that under that scenario all the pandemic deniers would already have perished by now. You have more to be thankful for than you realize, and that's despite the botched response to the pandemic.

    The safety measures did not "ruin" the world, they saved it.

  73. DCS Diamond

    @red_robbo - Excellent! You made the point about why @George's argument, which he's made elsewhere and has been echoed by others, so succinctly and so clearly that one would think that such folks with all their bravado would get it. Yet, I won't hold my breadth because those folks rely on sophistry to make their claims, which means that they are delusional but do not know it because they are convinced that their arguments make...

    @red_robbo - Excellent! You made the point about why @George's argument, which he's made elsewhere and has been echoed by others, so succinctly and so clearly that one would think that such folks with all their bravado would get it. Yet, I won't hold my breadth because those folks rely on sophistry to make their claims, which means that they are delusional but do not know it because they are convinced that their arguments make sense.

    Well, they do not, as you just pointed out because the death rates due to the pandemic that they are comparing to natural death rates are death rates that include 'social distancing' and other measures that were implemented to try to "flatten the curve." They are comparing apples and oranges!

    I previously posted the following to debunk, based on new scientific evidence, sophistic claims like @George's. This seems like a good opportunity to recycle that comment.

    "A frequent claim by anti-lockdown activists or pandemic deniers (scamdemic!), like @George, is that 'social distancing' measures that medical experts recommended to ‘flatten the curve’, and continue to urge caution in lifting too soon, were either useless or their effectiveness hyped. That [bogus] claim could not be effectively challenged because it is usually tough to prove a negative, as that would have required having data on the number of people who would have gotten infected or would have died *if the safety measures had not been implemented at all.*

    Well, what do you know? A scientific study published in ‘Health Affairs’ by researchers in Kentucky, of all places, 'has proved the negative' and debunked the claim about 'social distancing' measures being useless:

    "Holding the amount of voluntary social distancing constant, these results imply 10 times greater spread by April 27 without shelter-in-place orders (SIPOs) (10 million cases) and more than 35 times greater spread without any of the four measures (35 million). Our paper illustrates the potential danger of exponential spread in the absence of interventions..."
    ______________
    See, @George? Based on experimental data, there would have been ~10M people infected without just 4 of the safety measures that were implemented, and ~35M people would have been infected without any of the measures implemented.

    The truly disturbing thing about pandemic deniers is that they consider human lives to be readily expendable. Fortunately, the world does not seem to be populated by by sociopaths like them: emerging evidence is that even in states where social distancing measures have been relaxed and people are freer to roam around, the majority of folks have voluntarily refrained from doing so, and good for them!

  74. red_robbo Gold

    @ Ben
    "Who has been flying? What date and was the seat next to you empty?"

    Come on - this post is long enough already without turning it into a survey! Do we really want all this site's readers to answer that? What's the point?

  75. Ben New Member

    Who has been flying? What date and was the seat next to you empty?

  76. Elijah Gold

    Who in their right mind would want to be flying in the US at this time. The whole country is a petri dish. How fortunate we are in Australia. People with common sense and awareness.

  77. Tony Guest

    "It’s probably worth clarifying that the above doesn’t paint the full picture of people traveling, since this only accounts for people being screened at US airports. For example, it doesn’t account for those arriving in the US from other countries and not connecting onwards."

    a very very small number im sure seeing the number of travel restrictions in place haha.

  78. D C Diamond

    I flew American yesterday, May 22. CLT was packed, with only about 10% cancellations. MIA was nearly empty, with around 90% cancellations.

    Are these massive differences due to the local people living in Miami and Charlotte or does American have a clueless person scheduling flights in Miami and a genius in Charlotte?

  79. red_robbo Gold

    @ George
    I'm not going to get embroiled in any US political arguments, but I would just like to say that your argument is intrinsically flawed. What you have failed to note is that the number of deaths is AFTER the various restrictions have been put in place. What nobody knows is how high the death rate would have been had there not been such restrictions, but I don't think anyone could argue that...

    @ George
    I'm not going to get embroiled in any US political arguments, but I would just like to say that your argument is intrinsically flawed. What you have failed to note is that the number of deaths is AFTER the various restrictions have been put in place. What nobody knows is how high the death rate would have been had there not been such restrictions, but I don't think anyone could argue that the rate would be lower. If it were possible to measure the difference, that would be the true measure of success or failure.
    Oh, and it's pretty pointless quoting *worldwide* figures of death rates in your argument when the virus hasn't yet fully hit large areas of the planet....

  80. Jeff Guest

    I think people who've been quarantined are trying to get to a new place for a bit. As a NYC resident, I have a ton of friends who are relocating to their parents' houses or a friend's house outside of the city this weekend for the foreseeable future.

  81. George Guest

    @Jay - I'm actually one of those coastal elites :)
    Shock huh?
    Business owner on the west coast, I employe a fair number of people (I worked for free the last couple months too, so we had no layoffs and no pay reductions for front line workers).

    I was raised a Democrat in California, now in the PNW, in the most liberal city on the West Coast.
    So, you can eat me...

    @Jay - I'm actually one of those coastal elites :)
    Shock huh?
    Business owner on the west coast, I employe a fair number of people (I worked for free the last couple months too, so we had no layoffs and no pay reductions for front line workers).

    I was raised a Democrat in California, now in the PNW, in the most liberal city on the West Coast.
    So, you can eat me :)

    --
    Also, I was STOKED to see 300k+ travel yesterday. I'm flying tomorrow again, and the planes are getting full! It's nice.

    Not sure why the comment is needed 'for better or worse'
    This is VERY GOOD.

    Our country has been decimated by horrible decisions making.
    We have almost 40million people out of work, for no reason.
    All the models were wrong.
    Very few people have died.
    But, we've ruined our country so the social media warriors, media and politicians can all feel powerful and united.

    Remember the data:
    60Million people a year die, every year, normally and naturally
    In the last 6 months, that means 30,000,000 people have died naturally
    About 400,000 of those have had CV in their system, and most would have died naturally soon anyway.

    So, we ruined the world for 1.3% of the NORMAL, NATURAL death rate.
    The math, unfortunately, doesn't add up now that reality is clear.
    We over-reacted, and we've hurt a lot more than 400,000 people worldwide now :/
    We screwed up, badly. BUT, we can all get back to work, dig in, travel and spend money to help save as many lives as possible now.

    So, ANYTHING that shows growth of spending is really really needed.
    Unless you're Jay, and you don't care about other people's lives :)

  82. rich Gold

    I think the growth will peak at a significant lower rate than before because while some people don't view it as a high risk, or they are in the younger age range, many others will view it as high risk and won't return to flying, or greatly restrict it to extremely few trips.

    Not sure at what point that will be but it won't return to 100%, 90%, 80% without a vaccine. I'm guessing somewhere...

    I think the growth will peak at a significant lower rate than before because while some people don't view it as a high risk, or they are in the younger age range, many others will view it as high risk and won't return to flying, or greatly restrict it to extremely few trips.

    Not sure at what point that will be but it won't return to 100%, 90%, 80% without a vaccine. I'm guessing somewhere around 50%. And if any outbreaks are traced to flying it will quickly drop back to 25% or less.

  83. Eskimo Guest

    318K+ probably has something to do with Memorial Day??

  84. Mary Member

    Thrilled to see a rebound. I booked a flight next week to visit family and as soon as things reopen I will book more.

  85. Naren Guest

    For those who could not understand the % and then insist the writer was causing confusion .....my answer STEM education.

  86. Jay Guest

    You're a real 'Merican Georgey! Not a pansy like those effette, coastal elites! God bless you and 'Merica!!! More Georgeys is what we need to get this country great again!

  87. George Guest

    I'm still flying every week for fun. It's getting busier every week at the airport, hotels, traffic, etc.

    It's really nice.
    I imagine this summer, the floodgates will open.
    I have many friends who have booked multiple trips to Europe, around the US, etc.

    Low fares are working, and more promotions and specials are getting people out on the road.

    --
    Also, for those of you who think you need to wear...

    I'm still flying every week for fun. It's getting busier every week at the airport, hotels, traffic, etc.

    It's really nice.
    I imagine this summer, the floodgates will open.
    I have many friends who have booked multiple trips to Europe, around the US, etc.

    Low fares are working, and more promotions and specials are getting people out on the road.

    --
    Also, for those of you who think you need to wear a mask on a plane.
    That's incorrect.
    You just take it off once you take off. No one says a word, and FAs are told not to confront passengers.

    I almost cancelled trips when airlines forced me to wear a mask.
    But, now, I wear it for about 10 minutes before takeoff, and 5 minutes after landing.
    The rest of the trip - no mask, and no hassles.

    So, if you refuse to fly because of the silly mask rules - I hear you, but, you don't need to actually wear one.

  88. Bob Guest

    So, I understand you don't have so much to write about, but is this really going to be updated every few days? I mean why not, I guess, when you can just repackage the same "highest travel numbers since April 14" story every few days and get comments.

  89. Dave Guest

    @Lucky would be much more interesting and helpful if you could graph this data on excel before posting. Shouldn't take too long to do as it would be a fairly straight forward graph. I'm sure Tiffany could help you if you're too technically challenged :)

  90. Jan Guest

    Here we go, another round of virtue signalers / travel shamers in the comments section!

  91. Eskimo Guest

    Now I really need to quickly make a trip to AZ, CA desert. Last chance to see parked planes.

  92. George Guest

    Lol, Samo- in my country (and many others), masks are compulsory when you go out. Especially the light 3 ply masks, you barely notice them when you have them on. This weird idea you have that you will lack oxygen is bizarre. I'll be wearing one for my 18 hour flight in August, as will everyone else on the plane.

    Your healthcare professionals are wearing them every day for 12 hour shifts and putting their...

    Lol, Samo- in my country (and many others), masks are compulsory when you go out. Especially the light 3 ply masks, you barely notice them when you have them on. This weird idea you have that you will lack oxygen is bizarre. I'll be wearing one for my 18 hour flight in August, as will everyone else on the plane.

    Your healthcare professionals are wearing them every day for 12 hour shifts and putting their lives on the line. The least you can do is wear one every time you go out of the house, until this thing is over.

  93. Samo Guest

    European airlines seem to be setting 31st August as the deadline for compulsory face masks so I suppose September is when we might start getting back to normal in terms of the demand. Business travel is dead and no one is going to sacrifice several hours without an oxygen just to get to a holiday.

    I wonder how many airlines will make it through the summer, when everyone's gonna drive, or stay home instead...

    European airlines seem to be setting 31st August as the deadline for compulsory face masks so I suppose September is when we might start getting back to normal in terms of the demand. Business travel is dead and no one is going to sacrifice several hours without an oxygen just to get to a holiday.

    I wonder how many airlines will make it through the summer, when everyone's gonna drive, or stay home instead of flying (at least on continental European market) to avoid all the gimmicks that airlines introduced.

    I'm sorry for all the people in airline industry who will be forced to accept this nonsense, only to recieve a notice within a few weeks.

  94. George Guest

    @David- pretty much *all* transmission came from air travel, originally. There were some cases on cruise ships, but even there, people flew too/from the origination/debarkation ports...

  95. Mark Member

    @Jake

    he already does take the day of the week into account: "The comparison is to the same day of the week last year (since passenger demand is highly dependent on the day of the week)"

  96. Daniel D Guest

    I just flew today from CA to Seattle on Alaska. Alaska and basically every other airline is requiring masks now. In the case of Alaska they started requiring them on May 11. Anyway, myself and everyone else on the plane that I noticed were in fact wearing masks, and no aisle seats were taken on the E175 (two seats on each side of the aisle), which is what the airline promised. Granted I can't guarantee...

    I just flew today from CA to Seattle on Alaska. Alaska and basically every other airline is requiring masks now. In the case of Alaska they started requiring them on May 11. Anyway, myself and everyone else on the plane that I noticed were in fact wearing masks, and no aisle seats were taken on the E175 (two seats on each side of the aisle), which is what the airline promised. Granted I can't guarantee that if it was a more popular route they would have tried to sell more tickets, but for now I'll assume Alaska is following through with their promise to block aisle/middle seats depending on the aircraft. Important to note though I was flying SJC-SEA and SJC was almost like a ghost town (I chose it over SFO as I thought it wouldn't be as crowded).

    It felt pretty safe honestly. Many of the cabin and waiting area announcements remind people that masks are required and the airline provides masks to passengers that forgot theirs. And again every passenger I personally noticed was wearing a mask.

    It is worth pointing out though that when we arrived at SeaTac, a puzzling number of people were not wearing masks in the airport. I'd peg the mask wearing rate at around 65%. But at least on the plane where it matters most people seemed to all be wearing one.

  97. david Guest

    I haven't seen any studies/reports of outbreaks arising from air travel. There should be evidence showing increased transmission among flyers vs non-flyers if this is happening.

  98. Jake Guest

    If you look at the data form more than a millisecond you will notice that there is a strong day-of-week effect, so comparing a Thursday (2020 data) to a Tuesday (2019 data) is incorrect and will given you junk results. Again looking at the data for more than a millisecond you will see that the average Tuesday always has far less traffic than the average Thursday.

    You have a lot of time and the internet...

    If you look at the data form more than a millisecond you will notice that there is a strong day-of-week effect, so comparing a Thursday (2020 data) to a Tuesday (2019 data) is incorrect and will given you junk results. Again looking at the data for more than a millisecond you will see that the average Tuesday always has far less traffic than the average Thursday.

    You have a lot of time and the internet to figure out how to remove this effect to make correct comparisons.

  99. James Guest

    Such a shame to see the number of "essential" travellers increasing so much.

    James

  100. Joe Gold

    These posts are akin to CNNs constant "most tragic day" daily updates that were coming out as the curve went up.

    I mean, at least its a positive story, just still kinda redundant.

  101. David Member

    Crazy that total passengers screened in total nationwide is still less than the daily average of passengers at ATL, which is close to 300k (that's including all, not just screened, granted).

  102. Bill S Guest

    Anyone who flied by choice instead of necessity is 1 brick short of a full load.

  103. GRUSA New Member

    @Patricia I have a lot of snowbirds in my family. They all made the decision to fly instead of drive. Their thought process was that they would have less potential exposure by flying rather than making stops at multiple rest areas, gas stations, and staying overnight at a hotel. They all told me there were no more than 15-20 people on their flights from TPA to DTW. But this was a few weeks ago when...

    @Patricia I have a lot of snowbirds in my family. They all made the decision to fly instead of drive. Their thought process was that they would have less potential exposure by flying rather than making stops at multiple rest areas, gas stations, and staying overnight at a hotel. They all told me there were no more than 15-20 people on their flights from TPA to DTW. But this was a few weeks ago when passenger counts were extremely low. I'm not sure how full the flights are now.

  104. Y Guest

    Booked today to fly the final Delta MD-88 and MD-90 flights! Going to be an exciting short trip.

  105. Bob Guest

    Hopefully it's just people who need to get home or for other personal reasons.

    Anyone flying for work right now is a selfish douche

  106. Patricia Guest

    We are snowbirds and have not left for the north home yet. Is it safer to fly or drive? We are both 72 years old but diabetics.

  107. Manny Guest

    With all mayor airlines retiring huge quantities of airplanes is tellingnme the traffic will be low for a long time. IATA is projecting the airline industry wont recuperate until 2023.

  108. Kent Member

    What proportion of this traffic can be attributed to repatriation flights?

    We are seeing large nations, like India, undertake immense repatriation missions. India, by itself, will be repatriating over a million Indians by sea and air. Hats of to Air India, again.

  109. SURFDOLFIN Guest

    Lucky, thanks posting for these interesting numbers. Not real good at math, but they seemed pretty simple to me. Also, if you decide to delete the political stuff, you have my vote!

  110. Chris Guest

    I guess pople are confusing the data.
    The "wave" abreviation before the percentage means "circa./approximatively"
    This does not corresponds to the negative "-"
    Ok it's small symbol and could have been confusing.
    But defintively "circa./approximatively" meaning.

  111. KL New Member

    I will continue to fly when I need to. Life goes on. I've flown in the last 8 weeks and don't find it intimidating at all. Rather pleasant. I'm not buying into the hype. The only thing different for me is that my favorite restaurants and bars are not not open and I can't good to HomeGoods. Other than that, all good. Just.....don't.......get......it......

  112. Bill Guest

    Air travel will go up as states open prematurely. People without basic commonsense will rush to the airports and fly all over the place when they don't really have essential reasons to do so. In several weeks the country will be suffering from outbreaks all over and we will be shutdown again.

  113. Julie Guest

    I am going to have to fly across country soon. My house sold and I have to pack up all my stuff. I have someone flying up who will drive it across country for me. I wish I didn't have to, but I have pushed it back as far as I can.

    Sometimes people don't really have choices.

  114. CMorgan Gold

    Paolo how exactly is George putting people in danger. Locking him up in a strait jacket. Are u for real or just needing a OW coach ticket back to NK. That is exactly where your views belong!

  115. Christopher Smith Guest

    A note, Lucky: When you simply "refresh" "evergreen" posts like this one instead of creating a new one, they show up as read in RSS readers because the URL has already been visited.

  116. Daniel Guest

    I'll be flying in one week to look for apartments to rent in Seattle. In mid-May basically every US airline will require masks and will clean planes more thoroughly after every flight. At least until the end of May a number of airlines will not be selling middle seats. I think it's time to (slowly) learn how to live in this new world. The jobs report from today underscores this issue, and also shows how...

    I'll be flying in one week to look for apartments to rent in Seattle. In mid-May basically every US airline will require masks and will clean planes more thoroughly after every flight. At least until the end of May a number of airlines will not be selling middle seats. I think it's time to (slowly) learn how to live in this new world. The jobs report from today underscores this issue, and also shows how employees in nearly every sector are vulnerable, including the healthcare industry astonishingly.

  117. Reaper Guest

    @Paolo, do not feed the troll.

  118. Jan Guest

    Then it's a good thing @Paolo has no say in it, or in anything

    @David (at least domestically) for a 1-3 hour flight I just want to get it over with, a lack of lounge access (in an empty airport) or a pre-flight Mimosa wouldn't kill me

  119. George Guest

    Paolo - the nice thing is, not only do you not have any rights, legal authority, or ability to do anything to me.

    I don’t have to listen to you, and I can do the exact opposite of what you want and say :)

    Which is what I am doing !

    See, I live in a country called America.
    And your rights end where mine begin.

    So, if you want to kill...

    Paolo - the nice thing is, not only do you not have any rights, legal authority, or ability to do anything to me.

    I don’t have to listen to you, and I can do the exact opposite of what you want and say :)

    Which is what I am doing !

    See, I live in a country called America.
    And your rights end where mine begin.

    So, if you want to kill hundreds of thousands of children by locking down the world economy (UN.org report) so they don’t get vaccines. Be my guest.

    Your selfish and hypocritical attitude is harming hundreds of thousands more people than Coronavirus ever will.

    Your self righteous attitude, ignoring facts and reason because you don’t understand math or science - fortunately, doesn’t impact me at all.

    It just makes your point of view look idiotic. Like a flat earther ignoring data and logic, because it goes Against their beliefs.

    Good luck with that, the best part of my life is, not only do your comments not bother me, they fuel me to do the opposite because I can and your ignorance can only stop you, not me.

  120. Paolo Diamond

    @George
    If I had any say in it, you’d be constrained in a straitjacket and locked away for the duration. Being a danger to yourself is a choice, but your choices puts others at risk...

  121. George Guest

    @David I hear you, but, honestly, I am *really* enjoying it. It's so refreshing to not have masses of people all over the airport. It's... great.

    That said, I have been upgraded on every leg of every trip except for 1 since March.
    In March, I actually had an entire 737-900 to myself :)

    I eat before I get on the plane, and use the wifi to do work and goof off.
    The...

    @David I hear you, but, honestly, I am *really* enjoying it. It's so refreshing to not have masses of people all over the airport. It's... great.

    That said, I have been upgraded on every leg of every trip except for 1 since March.
    In March, I actually had an entire 737-900 to myself :)

    I eat before I get on the plane, and use the wifi to do work and goof off.
    The lack of service or 'soft product' has really not been an issue for me.

    Even internationally, I flew BNE-LAX in March. Limited service - didn't bother me, I still had a bed.

  122. David Guest

    @George Great to hear that some people are still flying. The only huge problem is that flying is no fun right now due to lounge closures and service reductions onboard. No point in getting “deals” if all you’re going to get is bottled water. I hope they bring back the good stuff soon.

  123. Jason Guest

    David— if the most salient inconvenience of this pandemic for you is that you can’t get drunk in first class maybe you should rethink your outlook on life (and check your privilege).

  124. John Guest

    It's clear Ben didnt take stat 101.

  125. Jan Guest

    We'll see, as the states reopen. I hope passengers fly more while at the same time COVID death rate goes down. I have a (domestic) trip in mid-July I hope it works out

  126. George Guest

    Lufthansa is bringing 80 planes back into service in June. Qatar and others are expanding destinations.

    Seems China had a very robust May Celebration.

    I'm flying again today (been flying every week for.... months now).
    It's getting busier for sure. Very exciting.

    Uber drivers, hotel people... there is starting to be some optimism again.
    They have been attacked and vilified by the news for a while. People trying to tell other people what...

    Lufthansa is bringing 80 planes back into service in June. Qatar and others are expanding destinations.

    Seems China had a very robust May Celebration.

    I'm flying again today (been flying every week for.... months now).
    It's getting busier for sure. Very exciting.

    Uber drivers, hotel people... there is starting to be some optimism again.
    They have been attacked and vilified by the news for a while. People trying to tell other people what to do.

    Now, as freedom is starting to be allowed again (that's a whole other discussion...). The people are starting to hit the road again.

    It's great to see.
    Hope to see you all in the air again soon!

    The deals are out there.

  127. David Guest

    This just shows that we have stayed put long enough and that it’s not possible to halt everyone’s life just to save some people from an illness.

    Right now I think the major factor stopping people from travelling is the level 4 (do not travel) warning. If eased to level 3, a small rebound could come around

    Delta has made it a pain to fly by even eliminating drinks in first class

  128. Other George Guest

    @Jordan- there were 3 cases of Covid19 in China yesterday. There were 23,000 new cases in the USA. These are very different numbers, that can directly be translated into risk of infection.

    The second wave is going to be worse than the first.

  129. LM Guest

    A lot of businesses are opening up and that requires some people to fly. For example, a family member of mine works as an executive for a healthcare company headquartered in Florida. Since Florida announced plans to open up, the hospitals need their employees back on the job to help with the likelyhood of increased patients. He lives in Northern Georgia so he has to commute round-trip weekly.

  130. Tim Diamond

    @Katherine Whitley, jeez girl...calm down. Human nature is that we always make changes when disaster strikes. We don't live our lives in what-if panic porn mode. But you sound like a screaming mimi so knock yourself out and hide in a cave the rest of your life. The rest of us will get on.

  131. Jordan Guest

    There are many who do not live in fear. Taking precautions, absolutely, and flying if and when its needed. I'm not here to police others, or to have people police me with the "stay at home, stay safe" rubbish ....nor do I need to hear the sheep quiver out "flatten the curb"

    Nice to see the US flying public numbers rising. BTW - China passenger numbers have jumped 20 fold in the past couple...

    There are many who do not live in fear. Taking precautions, absolutely, and flying if and when its needed. I'm not here to police others, or to have people police me with the "stay at home, stay safe" rubbish ....nor do I need to hear the sheep quiver out "flatten the curb"

    Nice to see the US flying public numbers rising. BTW - China passenger numbers have jumped 20 fold in the past couple of weeks. Flying will return to normal, but in the West carriers will use this as an excuse to dump staff, write down old jets etc...

    That's all!
    :-)

  132. dan Gold

    Much of who is flying is essential. I work for a medical device company. While none of us are allowed to fly, we still have equipment that needs to be maintained and serviced. If service people can't fly, then many things will slow to a trickle. Other companies need service people to work on their tools and equipment.

  133. kenindfw Guest

    I think the point is that as long as we're comparing apples to apples (flight crews, passengers, airport employees) in both last year's and this year's number then we would see a valid comparison and we would expect less airline employees and less airport employees as well since not all routes on all days are occurring. It just goes to show that people really stopped.

    My question now is will people be "forced" to travel...

    I think the point is that as long as we're comparing apples to apples (flight crews, passengers, airport employees) in both last year's and this year's number then we would see a valid comparison and we would expect less airline employees and less airport employees as well since not all routes on all days are occurring. It just goes to show that people really stopped.

    My question now is will people be "forced" to travel for work. I find that would be very difficult to require unless it's really essential (closing the sale, being on the ground at the client site to monitor and react to things occurring). I'm so glad that's not me anymore.

  134. Fred Bloggs Guest

    People need to be aware that airlines care more for making money than they do about passenger welfare. Airlines pretending that wearing masks will stop problems caused by inadequate distancing and poor cleaning of airplanes is seriously disrespectful.

  135. Zach Guest

    To me, 150k people flying in one day in the US seems like a lot..
    I don't know a single person flying right now who isn't taking an emergency flight home from a foregin country and there aren't many people who haven't already done that..
    So who are these people that still need to fly?

  136. Ed Diamond

    Liz very OTM.

    lucky, this needs a graph.

  137. Jimmy Gottfredson Diamond

    Definitely looks like a trend towards normalization, although we’re still at the very beginning of it. I’ve noticed in California that people are allowing themselves to travel and get out more; regardless of the stay at home orders.

  138. Bob Guest

    There should be zero flying for work right now, especially in sales, unless its directly related to essential services.

  139. Marissa Guest

    Over the last few days I have flown AKL-LAX; LAX-DEN-BZN. Both LAX and DEN were complete ghost airports. Hardly any people on flights at all. Scary.

  140. Katherine Whitley Guest

    Do the planes look cleaner? Feel cleaner? Are people coughing or sneezing (sneezes travel 27 feet) and can you imagine that the last person that sat in your seat could have done that and there you are with all those germs. American said they are thoroughly cleaning seat belts, tray tables, screens etc between each flight....does it feel like that is true?
    K

  141. Ryan Guest

    I’m on an American flight to Miami, it’s packed. Many middle seats taken. Doesn’t bother me. Everyone’s wearing a mask so it’s totally safer! Lol. I have no concern traveling to be honest with you. Eveyone who isn’t high risk need to get up and get out. The virus is here. Maybe forever. Live free or die.

  142. Reaper Guest

    "Data: Yesterday Was The Busiest Day At Airports In Over A Month"

    Given that's likely to happen frequently as air traffic recovers, you won't even have to change the headline on this piece any longer, just the date/time stamp.

  143. R B Guest

    Last day of the month...Could be that some contract workers on a monthly basis had to fly to their homes.

  144. dixieboz New Member

    Geez you people! Are y'all so bored that you have to keep harping on how Ben presented his numbers? My daughter stopped letting me help with her math homework when she was in 1st grade because I gave her a wrong answer. And even I had no trouble with understanding what his numbers meant and converting it. Did you even bother to read his explanation at the beginning?

  145. UA-NYC Diamond

    @Emmanuel Ruiz - you are so dumb you referenced a post from 3 weeks ago, lol. At least the other MAGA trolls sometimes have a tiny shred of intelligence...

  146. John Member

    I read that Flight Attendants are asking people NOT to fly for leisure and vacation unless it's for business.

  147. Emmanuel Ruiz Guest

    @UA-NYC - still being really stupid and clueless huh?

  148. Robert Fahr Member

    Unless the airlines, the FAA, the CDC, or some other federal agency prohibits passenger travel, just stop with all this judgy commentary. If the airlines are selling tickets, is it they who are assuming the risk to provide safe travel. If they cannot provide safe travel, then transport cargo only.

  149. Tomas Guest

    This data percentage thing is a disaster!

  150. Liz Guest

    Ben - If you're going to keep doing these type of posts (which I think are interesting), it would probably benefit from a data visualization - just a simple bar chart, or side-by-side bar chart, that you could make in Google Sheets. I be then folks will stop complaining about your explanation of percentages.

  151. Bob Guest

    @Steve_

    I am no expert, so maybe you're right in saying that travel might not be as unsafe as some people think, but keeping distance from people at an airport is very difficult if the airport is crowded. On a plane I'd say it becomes basically impossible if the flight is more than around 25% full. While passenger numbers are way lower than before, the number of flights operated is also very low meaning people...

    @Steve_

    I am no expert, so maybe you're right in saying that travel might not be as unsafe as some people think, but keeping distance from people at an airport is very difficult if the airport is crowded. On a plane I'd say it becomes basically impossible if the flight is more than around 25% full. While passenger numbers are way lower than before, the number of flights operated is also very low meaning people might still end up on flights with a load factor of over 25%.

  152. Eskimo Guest

    There isn't enough data to run very insightful stats but doesn't mean you can make some rough stats out of it. The easiest, if anyone isn't too lazy to do it for us, is to do a 7 day moving average. That should give you some interesting outcome.

  153. neil Diamond

    Re: the comments that prefer seeing %drop rather than %still flying (eg 95.4% drop vs 4.6% still flying). The information content is exactly the same.

    What I find interesting are the comments from folks still flying. Note most of them are reporting how full the plane is 25%, 60% or 40-60 seats. I have yet to see a comment that reports how empty the plane is.

    Just saying:-)

  154. Donna Diamond

    I read yesterday that Sara Nelson the FA Union leader wants to ban all non-essential air travel into the future. She better not overplay her hand. It’s going to be hard enough to get people back on planes again and that government aid isn’t going to last forever.

  155. Joyce Guest

    I live in Arizona which is a snowbird state. We are seeing a number of people packing up and returning to their other homes up North right now.

  156. John Guest

    @Sam
    I need a RTW ticket in first class on *A, basically the most expensive ticket I can find. How do I book?

  157. sam Guest

    I'm a travel agent. My clients have been slowly starting to contact me to plan travel, and a few have already booked.

  158. NK3 Guest

    Lucky--yeah, I could see imagine that passenger volumes will slowly start to increase. Personally I have canceled multiple trips. But there is one that I keep delaying, though eventually need to take. There is really no end in sight for Covid, so sooner or later I will need to take that specific flight. Unless there is a proven vaccine that has been widely administered, there will be risks. The rate of infection in the general...

    Lucky--yeah, I could see imagine that passenger volumes will slowly start to increase. Personally I have canceled multiple trips. But there is one that I keep delaying, though eventually need to take. There is really no end in sight for Covid, so sooner or later I will need to take that specific flight. Unless there is a proven vaccine that has been widely administered, there will be risks. The rate of infection in the general population is hopefully decreasing. However, social distancing will still be important for a while. If you fly now, with (some) planes 10-20% full, you can still practice social distancing. Let's say in June or July the government says "non-essential" travel can resume. While the passenger volume will not be back to 2019 numbers, I would guess this pseudo-green light will prompt a more sudden increase in passenger numbers. People will treat it like a light switch (not ok vs. ok to travel), versus a dimmer control. It will probably be safer to travel a couple weeks before the government says it is ok (when you can socially distance), than a couple weeks after.

  159. Steve__ Guest

    cover your face, wear a mask, keep your distance from people, wash your hands, wipe your seat and wear gloves. How is it any less safe to fly than going to a crowded grocery store?

  160. Gene Diamond

    @ Ben -- As dangerous as it seems, I am ready to return to the skies! So, yes, I think the trend will continue. I just wonder where it will stabilize -- 20%, 50%, 70%?? And, then, when does the next wave of COVID-19 hit -- 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months? I guarantee you it is coming....I am betting on about 2 months from now. Then, the markets and Dear Leader's approval ratings will...

    @ Ben -- As dangerous as it seems, I am ready to return to the skies! So, yes, I think the trend will continue. I just wonder where it will stabilize -- 20%, 50%, 70%?? And, then, when does the next wave of COVID-19 hit -- 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months? I guarantee you it is coming....I am betting on about 2 months from now. Then, the markets and Dear Leader's approval ratings will fall sharply.

    Can someone please explain to me why the stock market is UP 7% in 16 months, yet everyone keeps crying about how much it is DOWN? What a joke. It is the greatest sucker's market in history right now. WAY, WAY, WAY, WAY OVERVALUED!

  161. Sel, D. Gold

    Flew out of SFO yesterday. I was the only person going through TSA. Craziest part was looking down after takeoff to see not a single other aircraft moving on the ground - not on the runway, not pulling up to a gate, NOTHING. It was definitely eerie.

  162. Reaper Guest

    @George, 1/10, troll harder.

  163. Jordan Guest

    I wonder how many of you (commenting or reading) have ever flown with a cold or flu?. How many have gotten others sick - which unbeknown to you led to someone else dying? The little old lady who was seated next to you, or 3 rows behind!.

    How many do we see in the cabin, coughing and looking like death... hmmm.

    Things to think on while "taking shelter" from what is nothing out of...

    I wonder how many of you (commenting or reading) have ever flown with a cold or flu?. How many have gotten others sick - which unbeknown to you led to someone else dying? The little old lady who was seated next to you, or 3 rows behind!.

    How many do we see in the cabin, coughing and looking like death... hmmm.

    Things to think on while "taking shelter" from what is nothing out of the ordinary, as you will all see in the coming weeks, once people exit from the fear and start thinking for themselves. Doing their own research.

    Oh and no, I am not a republican nor a democrat (they are both the same).

  164. George Guest

    I'm flying every week for fun since January through to the end of the year.

    Yesterday the airports had more people in them for sure.
    My flight was ~60% full.

    I am flying again tomorrow, and I expect to see more and more folks each week.
    Maybe we won't get back to 100% of where we were in 2019, but, it's going to come back, and come back fast.

    Just wait until...

    I'm flying every week for fun since January through to the end of the year.

    Yesterday the airports had more people in them for sure.
    My flight was ~60% full.

    I am flying again tomorrow, and I expect to see more and more folks each week.
    Maybe we won't get back to 100% of where we were in 2019, but, it's going to come back, and come back fast.

    Just wait until businesses start sending their people out. Early May, mid May?
    It's going to be get busy, quick.

    --
    This was the stupidest over-reaction in history, and everyone is realizing it the last 7-10 days.
    Now people want to get back to living their lives and having jobs. So, they will get on planes.

    It's been so nice while it's been quiet, but, yeah, you can feel it starting to come back for sure.

  165. sunviking82 Guest

    I am noticing an uptick. I had to ( will have to soon again) fly to visit my Mom in hospice care (she's in PHL, I'm in PHX). Traveling Easter week we had maybe 20 - 25 (plus a dog) on our flights. Looking at my upcoming flights I have noticed closer to 40 - 50 seats taken (discounting block center and seats near the flight crews seats. Also, several of my wife's direct reports...

    I am noticing an uptick. I had to ( will have to soon again) fly to visit my Mom in hospice care (she's in PHL, I'm in PHX). Traveling Easter week we had maybe 20 - 25 (plus a dog) on our flights. Looking at my upcoming flights I have noticed closer to 40 - 50 seats taken (discounting block center and seats near the flight crews seats. Also, several of my wife's direct reports are requesting travel (PHX to DEN or LAX - close in) to help with restarting of their businesses. Will see travel at the rate pre-March. . .no but I can see us being closer to 50% of normal by middle to late summer. Noticed too that Eurowings is still launching PHX service, although in early August verses April, but saw it cancel other North American destinations.

    Will be an interesting summer and valued fulled fall for sure.

  166. Jimmy Gottfredson Diamond

    Four days doesn’t make a trend, but starting on April 23rd you do see a slight increase from around ~ 100k to a range of 110-120k. Is it the very beginning of normalization ..... whatever that new number will be? As the Fed says, we’ll have to watch the data.

  167. Naoyuki Guest

    Like John said, it is impossible justify your assertion that there might be more people flying without real statistical analysis. We all hope that we can safely fly again, but the data presented, on its own, does not say much other than that there are about 93-95% (and need statistical significance) decrease in the airport passengers compared to before the outbreak. Nothing else.

  168. R B Guest

    Flew AA from East Coast to West Coast (through CLT) last week, I would say both flights were 25%-50% full. Saw several pilots and AA employees, soldiers, as well as families with young children and some people with their pets/ESA.
    It was not the empty plane I expected.

  169. John Guest

    @Lucky
    Look up statistical significance and report back to us.

  170. Jeremy P Guest

    What would be really interesting to know - or put in comparison to this data - is the number of flights still going - and what are their load factors. I know this data is probably coming from DOT but lags significantly. Will be fascinating when it comes. I just can't believe how many flights are still going, and yes, some need to for healthcare workers, essential first responders, gov't officials, etc.

  171. Scanditino New Member

    Congratulations Lucky, you managed to present the main point of this entry, the % drop, in the most confusing way! Was that the German in you coming out?

  172. Jose Guest

    @ John. Wake up! It's not bed time and stopping dreaming. That's not going to happen and don't be angry once Trump get kicked out of the WH.

  173. Katherine Whitley Guest

    To JetAway
    Why did it have to come to this before interiors of airliners being sanitized inbetween every flight? Why didnt they take out the middle seats for space between passengers like Delta is now doing - and imagine other airlines. Why does it have to take a disaster before people - executives that know it all figure it out?

  174. red_robbo Gold

    @ Brett
    I don't know specific schedules for the routes you mention, but maybe if only 2 flights a day currently operate where there were previously 10, there are far fewer flights for people to book. If so, 50% load on those 2 flights would still represent a considerable reduction on the normal volumes - possibly down 90% or so.

  175. Petr Guest

    Lufthansa published today their traffic drop is 98%.
    Well, there is virtually no place to fly anyway in Europe, and German domestic flights are limited, too. So no wonder.

  176. Red Dargon Guest

    @ron You might be trolling, but I'll give it a go anyway. The models don't pan out for a number of reasons, most notably in these models because assumed behaviors ended up being different than actual behaviors. Specifically, people for the most part socially distanced, which ended up significantly slowing the virus and bringing down infection rates, which fed back into the models which now predict a much lower number of deaths. This is proof...

    @ron You might be trolling, but I'll give it a go anyway. The models don't pan out for a number of reasons, most notably in these models because assumed behaviors ended up being different than actual behaviors. Specifically, people for the most part socially distanced, which ended up significantly slowing the virus and bringing down infection rates, which fed back into the models which now predict a much lower number of deaths. This is proof that social distancing works, not that the model is broken.

    As for your absurd premise that you "don't live your life by [models]" - nobody is suggesting as much. But again, the evolution of the projected deaths shows that, at least in this case, it WAS worth living our lives by the models. (Most) everyone stayed home, and thousands will live as a result.

  177. Anthony Guest

    Not only a change in numbers and calculations.

    It can be said in Europe, excluding the UK, people are changing.

    Who knows if they will revert to the same old same old when and if things start up again.

    Brains are calculating. Hearts are feeling.

    Lets see.

  178. Katherine Whitley Guest

    don't fly they are petri dishes and Id sue your employer! danger zone REALLY? /filthy planes

  179. John Member

    @Lucky maybe you can research and enlighten us as to who the 100,000 +/- people are that's still flying. I thought stay at home means no traveling!

  180. Mark Guest

    Unfortunately my employer still requires me to fly each week and refuses to use video conferencing. However, I haven’t been laid off so I don’t have a right to complain.

  181. quasimodo Guest

    like how u didn't mention where you got the link from....you deleted that comment.

  182. ron Guest

    correct mike modeling doesn't pan out so stop using it to scare people

    weather is usually wrong but you missed the point don't live your life by

  183. Thefoz New Member

    Hey @ron ...interested to know what you do? I.e why you need to fly.

    And where are you flying from and to? And how often?

    Also do you think there might be a correlation between the 95% decrease in passengers and the 97% decrease in forecast deaths?

  184. ORD Flyer Guest

    All I can think of is how expensive it is going to be once flying starts really resuming. Supply will be low and demand will be high comparative to the limited number of flights/seats available so ticket prices are going to be pretty crazy for the foreseeable future.

  185. Brett Guest

    Seemed relatively busy today. My flight from OAK to PHX was 50% full, flight from PHX to DFW was 60% full, while DFW to BWI was only about 25% full. Airports are empty and based on your posts I was surprised to see half full flights.

  186. RT Flyer Guest

    I realize it is YOUR blog, but those ads in the middle of the text are very annoying. I checked a post of yours from last year, and I see they weren't being used then. Maybe you could reformat sometime in the near future? (Please?)

  187. Jr Guest

    @Shawn is correct. YoY increase or decrease is the proper way to reflect this in Finance lingo.

  188. Rich Gold

    I’m guessing math isn’t your strong suit. Saying “nearly -4.6%” is redundant. As someone else pointed out the tilda implies “approximate” so you are saying nearly approximate” which makes no sense.

    An your notation was confusing. Using a negative sign saying how much it was down would have been easier on the math weak readers.

  189. Mike Guest

    @ron: "Look at the 70 % approval rating of Dr Fauci and his advise"

    Statistical modeling does not always pan out to real world results - it is based on assumptions and conditions in play at any given moment, which can change for any number of reasons.

    You sound like one of those people who will call TV stations and complain when the weather forecast is wrong.

  190. ron Guest

    Im still flying between work and home and it honestly has been great. Planes are empty ,people are friendly and it is by far much safer than going to your local grocery store or one of those essential liquor stores.
    News is just catering to what people want to here not the facts.
    Look at the 70 % approval rating of Dr Fauci and his advise

    January- very low risk to US
    ...

    Im still flying between work and home and it honestly has been great. Planes are empty ,people are friendly and it is by far much safer than going to your local grocery store or one of those essential liquor stores.
    News is just catering to what people want to here not the facts.
    Look at the 70 % approval rating of Dr Fauci and his advise

    January- very low risk to US
    February -2.2 million will die
    March- 160,000-200,000 will die
    April - 60,000 will die.
    Wake up people

  191. Adam Bond New Member

    Hi Ben. I’m in self isolation in Kuala Lumpur, but am able to fly in ten days back to the US. Booked on ANA through NRT-LAX-DEN-COS AND I’m really interested to see what my entry into and transfer through LAX will be like. I’ll keep you posted.

    (Thanks for all you do - keeps us all up to date, and that is so valuable. )

  192. Rodrigo Maia Guest

    So why there are still so many planes throughout US if you check FlightRadar???

  193. JetAway Guest

    @Katherine Whitley-Most airlines are doing an exceptional job cleaning and sanitizing aircraft now. Quite likely most aircraft now flown by U.S. carriers are cleaner than your own living room.

  194. Ford Guest

    Now I thought Don wanted corporate America open by Easter, what on earth happened...

  195. Katherine Whitley Guest

    Maybe the virus is slowing as people are not flying so much! Im sure the airlines continue to fly dirty unsanitary aircraft equipment and since everyone is staying home, it is slowing. I could be wrong, but the flying petri dishes have to clean up their act and make flying safe again. CLEAN and SANITIZE those planes! Have you ever noticed the sticky filthy floors in the restrooms? Ever put your tray down to find...

    Maybe the virus is slowing as people are not flying so much! Im sure the airlines continue to fly dirty unsanitary aircraft equipment and since everyone is staying home, it is slowing. I could be wrong, but the flying petri dishes have to clean up their act and make flying safe again. CLEAN and SANITIZE those planes! Have you ever noticed the sticky filthy floors in the restrooms? Ever put your tray down to find filth, coffee stains smudges all from other flyers. Now is the time to slow down arrivals and departures and sanitize these planes. The world is not ever going to be normal again because normal wasnt working! Katherine

  196. AlexS Diamond

    @PaulZ: You've said it exactly. There's no news anymore, just opinion. I used to work in broadcasting 20 years ago. What I see on the evening news, at the station I worked for, would have been grounds for termination back when I was working there. Now it's the norm.

    The US news sources have stopped reporting on international events as well.

    I stopped watching the US news probably a decade ago. It's just not worth it.

  197. Mark Guest

    Exactly Samo. I've zero clue why anyone has struggled with the percentages on here. It's extremely clear.

    People are thick.

  198. Samo Guest

    The percentage makes perfect sense, why is everyone so confused about it? It's the percentage of traffic compared to the previous data.

  199. Yolanda Guest

    I can’t believe that people put the crap in their pockets into a bin and not their carryon whe going through the TSA checkpoint. Gross!

  200. About Nowhere Guest

    The ~ symbol stands for “about” or “estimated.” @Lucky was stating that the current percentage of those flying is “about” x% compared to normal. I would never know that if I hadn’t had to take Probability Calculus. Almost failed, but pulled self out of nosedive and remember “~.”

  201. Will Guest

    @ bob, thanks for your post as I was confused by the %’s quoted as were others it appears.

  202. Trey Guest

    wow...does that mean airline stocks are yet to bottom? It'd be nice to keep getting updates of this data to see when the numbers will actually bottom and hit a reflection point. I understand stock guidance are provided more in quarterly fashion but clearly, you can expect second quarter revenues to be around 80% less than last year?

  203. Dave Guest

    The entire country hasn’t been social distancing much less been on lockdown for several weeks now. There are still a handful of states not on lockdown, as well as lots of people making fun of social distancing. I imagine they might still be flying, along side people who “have to fly.” For example, people going to funerals or to visit dying relatives or friends, people going to medical appointments for non-COVID diseases that can’t access...

    The entire country hasn’t been social distancing much less been on lockdown for several weeks now. There are still a handful of states not on lockdown, as well as lots of people making fun of social distancing. I imagine they might still be flying, along side people who “have to fly.” For example, people going to funerals or to visit dying relatives or friends, people going to medical appointments for non-COVID diseases that can’t access appropriate medical care where they live, people from the CDC or other federal agencies (or state agencies in large states) that need to visit a hotspot for whatever reason, people who lost everything when their job dissolved and have to move in with others, people who already took a new job in a new city before everything went to crap, etc. It’s not like the country has many options for long distance travel: you either drive or you fly. Until all planes are grounded, I expect there to still be people flying when they don’t want to drive.

  204. schar Guest

    Your percentage doesnt really make sense and it actually makes it more confusing to include that.....just sayin

  205. Suraksha Guest

    Does anyone know if Aer Lingus is still flying from any USA airport to Dublin Ireland? I had a ticket for May which I cancelled, although Aer Lingus said they are still flying(to avoid refund). When I check flight status website the flights even this week is listed as scheduled.

  206. Katherine Whitley Guest

    KW.
    Airlines equally guilty of spreading this virus. Filthy unsanitized equipment. From bathroom floors to trays to unclean tv screens, get My seats, it's all over
    I'm fuming they should get any bail out. Till they can prove proper sanitation. They fly the sickly, coughing, hacking, sneezing, smelly people. All for profit. Ebola should have taught them a lesson. NOW can u take temperatures at boarding and refuse boarding to sickly? You were...

    KW.
    Airlines equally guilty of spreading this virus. Filthy unsanitized equipment. From bathroom floors to trays to unclean tv screens, get My seats, it's all over
    I'm fuming they should get any bail out. Till they can prove proper sanitation. They fly the sickly, coughing, hacking, sneezing, smelly people. All for profit. Ebola should have taught them a lesson. NOW can u take temperatures at boarding and refuse boarding to sickly? You were part of this problem spreading this virus☹

  207. Chuck Sullivan Guest

    I assume these numbers are fairly accurate for the passenger count, probably taken from boarding pass scans at checkpoints. Employees and Crew don't do that.

  208. DavidO New Member

    @Ben, I think people are confused about the percentages because they’re thinking your ~ sign is a -

    That’s the only reason I could imagine it would be confusing, otherwise seems like either way makes just as much sense as the other.

    Crazy to see such low numbers, especially considering how many people could still technically and legally fly if they wanted to. Good to see people actually listening.

  209. CMorgan Gold

    Correct with perhaps the exception of BBC most news sources are slanted to either a conservative view point or a liberal view point. I am an independent and watch OAN- right wing and PBS - Liberal wing. I then contrast between the two what I hear.

  210. Sb Guest

    The drop percentage (95.4%)
    PLUS
    The percentage of people that did fly(4.6%)
    =
    (100%)
    For each 1000 passengers they flow last year
    954 did not fly
    46 did fly
    This year

  211. Paulz Member

    @Shawn/@Amos- I think you both just highlighted what is wrong. Back in the day, news was reported and there was a small time slot for opinion pieces. The news was fact without hyperbole nor parsed by worldview. You could literally watch any one of 4-5 stations and the news would be almost exactly alike, it was the 3-4 minutes of the opinion piece that differentiated the stations.

    Today, everything is slanted towards a particular view...

    @Shawn/@Amos- I think you both just highlighted what is wrong. Back in the day, news was reported and there was a small time slot for opinion pieces. The news was fact without hyperbole nor parsed by worldview. You could literally watch any one of 4-5 stations and the news would be almost exactly alike, it was the 3-4 minutes of the opinion piece that differentiated the stations.

    Today, everything is slanted towards a particular view and nothing is fact. We've even moved from the reporting of the news to creation of news/influencing the news by the very reporters/stations themselves.

    I personally think this is why we have such divide in this country. We are no longer exposed to the other sides coherent explanation of their opinion. We watch our favorite channel and are forced fed our news with our desire slant and no longer have the ability to logically listen and understand the opposite position...or heaven forbid...accept where they might be right!

    The media creates divide and points of contention because that drives viewers which pushes up view stats which increase ratings which increase advertising costs which increase news personality salaries. So, whether Foxnews or CNN, you are the same.....

  212. MDB New Member

    As above, would be interesting to know the baseline here, which is the number of essential airport employees, gate crews and flight crews, which are likely some significant portion of the 100K. All those folks are not actually travelling either, they're just working to keep near-empty flghts in the air per the bailout terms.

  213. Shawn Guest

    @surfer - one isn’t more correct than the other. But generally people don’t speak or think of “ only 4.6% of people are flying compared to last year”. That’s why it sounds odd. I agree most would say there has been a 95.4% decrease in travel as compared to last year.

    @Amos - to each his own. I feel that way about Fox News. I only ever see it when I am forced to sit by a tv with it on when traveling.

  214. jk Guest

    @ surfer, what makes more sense to you does not mean it makes more sense for everybody. Why can you not tolerate?

  215. derek Diamond

    I am not one of the 97,000. I need to travel. I want to travel. I like (to some extent) flying on a flight. I will not because it is a risk to me and a risk to others. Someone may give me the Covid-19 illness which I pass on to someone else.

  216. Amos Guest

    @John Wow! CNN's ratings must have taken a 94.999% hit now that 95% fewer people stopped going to the airports where they were forced to watch them.

  217. Jeremy P Guest

    And yet planes are still flying. Monitoring a flight I have a ticket on, DCA-EYW, and it been going for a few days. I just can't believe that they're sending more or less empty planes, especially if only 100k passengers are going through security a day. Seems senseless waste of money by the airlines, spending what they don't have.

  218. surfer New Member

    @ Lucky

    I get what your saying that 4.6% of people are traveling compared to last year. But really it makes more sense to say that there is 95.4% decline in travel compared to last year. Same comment at @drew

  219. surfer New Member

    %s make zero sense even with your explanation.

    1. Ben (Lucky) OMAAT

      @ surfer -- It's the traffic this year divided by the traffic last year. The percentages listed mean "this year there were x% as many people flying as the same day last year." What isn't making sense?

  220. JG Guest

    Out of curiosity - why is data for April 4 and April 5 not listed?

    1. Ben (Lucky) OMAAT

      @ JG -- Because for those dates she listed the number of travelers this year, but didn't share how many people traveled on those days last year.

  221. John Guest

    @UA-NYC Keep watching CNN. And stay mad when Trump gets reelected.

  222. AR Diamond

    @Donna and @Gerry Gerardo:

    People that work in/for critical infrastructure (https://www.cisa.gov/critical-infrastructure-sectors) which keep the country "operational", for lack of a better term. Not everything can be done via Skype or Zoom or Amazon Chime.

  223. UA-NYC Diamond

    @Donna - they are Fox or OAN watchers, where CV19 is a hoax and things are rosy

  224. Greg Guest

    These counts also include airline crew and airport workers or employees who use TSA checkpoints, so the passenger numbers are even less in reality.

  225. Bob Member

    The pct are not the decline but the amt left compared YoY yes?

  226. Tom Guest

    How does this compare to the numbers in the days following the 9/11 attacks?

  227. Icarus Guest

    @Gerry people still fly. Doctors nurses Emergencies repatriations with connections
    If you have family in Hawaii and lived in New York and had to get there urgently what would you do if there was a flight ?

  228. Gerry Gerardo Guest

    Who are these 100000 that are still flying?

  229. Donna Diamond

    I’m wondering why and where for of the 5% that are still flying.

  230. Al New Member

    My (gut, non-scientific) sense is that it took a bit of time for people to get settled in their place of social distance and come to rest there. What will be interesting to watch is when “essential” travel begins to creep up as people look around and see things bottoming out or getting better. Thanks for the information Lucky.

  231. Mr. Obvious Guest

    Found this part of your prospective to be a bit confusing:

    "I find this data to be fascinating, and in particular it’s interesting to see that traffic continues to decline significantly. Traffic at this point has more or less halved compared to a week ago.

    Given all the shelter in place orders we’ve seen, I’m kind of surprised that traffic continues to decrease this much, but in light of the situation it does make me...

    Found this part of your prospective to be a bit confusing:

    "I find this data to be fascinating, and in particular it’s interesting to see that traffic continues to decline significantly. Traffic at this point has more or less halved compared to a week ago.

    Given all the shelter in place orders we’ve seen, I’m kind of surprised that traffic continues to decrease this much, but in light of the situation it does make me happy to see that. People are staying home, and that’s good."

    Did you mean that given all the shelter in place orders, you are "NOT" surprised that traffic continues to decrease this much? Bcuz this data doesn't surprise me at all. If anything, I am surprised that this many people are still flying, period.

    1. Ben (Lucky) OMAAT

      @ Mr. Obvious -- Sorry if it wasn't clear. My point is that I feel like we've been on lockdown for several weeks now, with shelter in place orders in many places for more than a week. So I feel like not that much should be changing from last week compared to this week. But will update the post to make that clearer.

  232. Peter Diamond

    Does passing through TSA checkpoints include employees at the airport who need to go through? If so, wouldn't adding all of those around the country be a significant portion of those numbers? If it does include those, then the actual passenger numbers are quite a bit lower..

  233. khatl Diamond

    Less traffic yesterday across the whole of the US than a major airport usually has in a day

  234. RTBones Member

    This doesnt really surprise me, given all the pictures we have seen of parked airplanes - but seeing actual numbers is a stark reminder of just how huge this is. It *is* heartening to know people are taking this seriously, since we all know if demand was there, airlines would be flying.

  235. Drew Guest

    "Tuesday, April 7: 97,130 vs. 2,091,056 (~4.6%)"
    Um, this is not a 4.6% drop, its a 95.4% drop.

    1. Ben (Lucky) OMAAT

      @ Drew -- I noted the percentage of traffic this year compared to last year, not the drop. As I said in the post: "Behind each comparison I’ll share the percentage of passengers at checkpoints this year compared to last year."

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Alfred Robert Hogan Guest

I want flights reserved/rationed for serious purposes only, until electric airplanes are the rule and/or algae-based jet fuel, and the evil TSA is abolished. The No. 1 climate crisis demands we do this as part of ourt collective response. Four-fifths of people on Earth now have never flown in an airplane. The last of my 12 non-trivial flights starting in June 1984 was in October 1993, and I have abided by flygskam since then, barring a life-or-death emergency such as being medevaced to an STC hospital from an accident scene. This eco decsion has cost me myriad opportunities in my journalism career. Ace teen eco champion/ethical vegan Greta Thunberg on this point, as on virtually all else, is spot-on. (I have been vegan since Friday 1 January 1993.) Our planet's biosphere is at stake--and we are rapidly racing toward the cliff of no return.

0
Jim Harris Guest

any new update on the number of people flying ? Really like seeing the numbers.

0
Sean Guest

I honestly think it's way easier to get covid at the airport. That's why so many tsa agents have tested positive, most recently at Atlanta airport.

0
Meet Ben Schlappig, OMAAT Founder
5,163,247 Miles Traveled

32,614,600 Words Written

35,045 Posts Published