Well over half the 44 million passengers who used the world's scheduled air services last year flew with American domestic or international companies, according to the U.S. Air Transport Association's review of 1952. The review says that American airlines carried 27 m passengers, 9.7 per cent more than in 1951, and the total of 16,600 m revenue passenger-miles represented an increase of 17.3 per cent. Mail ton-miles increased by 7 per cent and cargo ton-miles by only 2.1 per cent to 97 m and 400 m respectively. Total revenue earned by the American airlines went up by about 10 per cent to £370 m, but profits were reduced by a 20% rise in operating costs. Practically two-thirds of the total earnings went to the domestic lines, who reported revenue increases of 16.7 per cent from passenger tickets, 20.5 per cent from freight and 4.5 per cent from express; mail earnings, however, dropped by 2.1 per cent. A 10-15 per cent increase in domestic passenger traffic is predicted for 1953.
Source: Flight International
