Air travel statistics

Air travel passenger counts were up in the U.S. over Independence Day, according to a column on Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's website composed by VisitCape executive director Brenda Newbern.

According to Newbern, "Transportation Security Administration (TSA) stated that its data showed close to nine million people traveled by air over the Fourth of July holiday. Data shows that there were more people going thru the airport checkpoints in 2022 than the same time in 2019," she wrote.

According to www.thriftytraveler.com, July and August were much better months for the airline industry.

"Any improvement is encouraging and worth celebrating after a brutal, unpredictable start to summer travel," noted the website.

Reuters News Agency reported that from Memorial Day weekend through the end of June, U.S. airlines canceled 21,000 flights, a figure twice what it was during the same period in 2021.

Price jumps

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' consumer price index showed an 18.6% increase in airfare from March to April 2022 — the largest one-month jump in recorded history.

Airfare was up 33% in 2022 when compared to the same time last year, with Thrifty Traveler noting some of the most expensive flight prices in recent memory, especially domestically.

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