Number of U.S. air carriers 1995-2023
The number of commercial air carriers in the United States had been steadily decreasing until 2021 but picked up in 2023, with the number of major carriers growing from 18 in 2021 to 19 in 2023. Smaller air carriers experienced an ongoing decline, with the 66 carriers counted in 2008 shrinking to 44 by 2023.
Major air carriers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation, major air carriers are commercial airlines generating over one billion U.S. dollars in operating revenue per year. The number of major air carriers can therefore change through smaller airlines growing, as well as through new carriers being created, or existing carriers exiting the market (including through mergers, notably the merger between US Airways and American Airlines in October 2015). This threshold is set such that the majority of the U.S. market is serviced by carriers designated as major, with the top 10 carriers alone accounting for over 90 percent of the domestic market.
Air travel in the United States
The decline in the number of U.S. airlines in no way is a sign of a decline in the U.S. air travel market – rather, the opposite is true. Total passenger miles flown by U.S. carriers increased strongly from 2009 to 2019, with all of the leading carriers seeing year-on-year increases in their passenger numbers during this period. However, these statistics hide a decline in regional air travel in the U.S. Since 2010, fewer passengers have been making less and less trips on regional carriers each year, a situation that was further exacerbated in 2020 with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Major air carriers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation, major air carriers are commercial airlines generating over one billion U.S. dollars in operating revenue per year. The number of major air carriers can therefore change through smaller airlines growing, as well as through new carriers being created, or existing carriers exiting the market (including through mergers, notably the merger between US Airways and American Airlines in October 2015). This threshold is set such that the majority of the U.S. market is serviced by carriers designated as major, with the top 10 carriers alone accounting for over 90 percent of the domestic market.
Air travel in the United States
The decline in the number of U.S. airlines in no way is a sign of a decline in the U.S. air travel market – rather, the opposite is true. Total passenger miles flown by U.S. carriers increased strongly from 2009 to 2019, with all of the leading carriers seeing year-on-year increases in their passenger numbers during this period. However, these statistics hide a decline in regional air travel in the U.S. Since 2010, fewer passengers have been making less and less trips on regional carriers each year, a situation that was further exacerbated in 2020 with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
