Click on "2009" in the table below to access the 2009 ATA Economic Report, your definitive source for economic and statistical information about the U.S. passenger and cargo airline industry for calendar year 2008. The ATA Economic Report highlights facts and figures drawn from all areas of the U.S. airline industry, including operational and financial results for cargo and passenger airlines. The electronic version is free, and hard copies may be purchased via Publications.
Evolution: A New Vision for Moving America
From $99.64 to $87.16 – and then from $145.29 to $33.87 – what a wild ride the price of a barrel of crude oil took through the course of 2008. On the way up, in just 103 days of trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), the price of crude soared 67 percent (more than $58 per barrel) to its July 3 peak, followed immediately by a precipitous 77 percent decline (more than $111) in just 118 days of trading. That remarkable, unprecedented volatility carried through to jet fuel prices, whose daily average incredibly spanned $2.96 per gallon, ranging from a low of $1.26 to a high of $4.26. The industry’s already largest cost center also became its most volatile with a 235 percent fluctuation in the span of a year.
he consequences of the industry’s staggering $58 billion fuel tab were pronounced and widespread, taking a heavy toll on airline workers, investors, customers and communities. Sadly, some 28,000 pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, ramp workers, gate agents, reservation sales and service representatives, and office workers lost their jobs while communities across the country lost air service. By the end of 2008, the U.S. airline industry was markedly smaller and financially weaker, incurring a net loss of $9 billion to $24 billion, depending on which “one-time” charges or gains were included.
Historical Editions
Download free reports by clicking the desired year below or purchase hard copies from Publications. Note: All PDF editions prior to 2001 were scanned from hard-copy originals, resulting in large file sizes.