The US Airline industry has undergone extreme turmoil in the last two decades. Three of the top four US airlines (American, United, and Delta) went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy at some point. All of the top airlines have undergone industry-changing mergers, drastically changing the US airline market share landscape. Alaska Airlines jumped to become a top-four airline following its merger with Virgin America in 2016. American Airlines and US Airways merged in 2013. Southwest market share increased to become a US airline market share leader after its merger with AirTran in 2011. Continental and United merged in 2010. Delta market share cemented its place in a leading position following the merger with Northwest Airlines 2009. Miraculously, passengers were mostly unaffected by these domestic airline events. Just as it seemed the industry had fixed itself, the COVID-19 pandemic threw the sector into deep uncertainty. US airlines carried 925 million passengers in 2019, and airlines were finally consistently reporting profits as a result of operational efficiencies and new pricing & fee strategies enacted after the 2008 financial crisis. The US airline industry is likely to see a new wave of US airline market share consolidation and bankruptcies in the near future. You can find US Airline Market Size, US Airline Market Share, and other trends and statistics below, and you can get help with additional US Airline industry market research and learn more about T4's strategy consulting services here.
The chart shows the US Airline Market Size from 2014 to 2020. In 2019, the size of the US Airline Industry (excluding cargo and foreign airlines) was $152B and is projected to decline 27% in 2020 as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. From 2014 to 2019, the US Airline Industry revenue growth averaged 3% per year (CAGR). The short term impact of COVID-19 on the US Airline market growth will likely be High because shelter-in-place, quarantine restrictions, and border closures reduced US air travel by over 90% according to the TSA and reporting from US airlines. The long term impact of COVID-19 on the US Airline market revenue growth beyond the COVID-19 pandemic will likely be High. Airlines have already announced cuts to passenger flights through the end of 2019, and passengers will likely be wary of resuming regular flying habits even after social distancing restrictions lift. Request help with obtaining the source for this data and additional US Airline industry market research and learn more about T4's strategy consulting services here.
The chart shows US Airline Market Share in Revenue Passenger Miles from February 2019 to January 2020, provided by the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Revenue Passenger Miles(RPM) describes the cumulative distance traveled by all paying passengers. The US Airline Market consists primarily of large and mid-sized airlines. The leading carrier in the US Airline Industry was American Airlines, with a 17.6% market share in 2019. Delta market share was 17.5% of the US airline market, Southwest market share was 16.9% of the US airline market, United held 14.9% US airline market share, Alaska held 6.4% US airline market share, JetBlue held 5.5% share, Spirit held 4.2% share, Frontier held 3.1% share, SkyWest held 2.9% share, Hawaiian held 1.6% share, and other domestic US airlines held 9.4% US airline market share. Get help with market research for the US Airline market, including the source for this US Airline Market Share chart and learn more about T4's strategy consulting services here.
Until Q1 2020, the US domestic market saw healthy growth since recovering from the 2008 financial crisis. US airline market share changed dramatically since 2008, with a spate of significant mergers. Growth was driven by improved seat utilization, new fees such as change and baggage fees to accompany standard passenger fares, a strong economy, and lagging capacity expansion due to Boeing's 737 MAX 8 delivery moratorium. The US airline market kept growing despite budget airlines, such as Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines, challenging the incumbent carriers by providing passengers low cost, no-frills travel. The top four US airline market share still dwarf the competition. American Airlines Market Share, Delta Market Share, Southwest Market Share, and United Market Share have increased through mergers. Alaska Airlines Market Share and Jet Blue Market Share, which sit in fifth and sixth place, are 3x smaller than each of the top four US airline market shares.
The US Airline industry is a Mature market composed of many large national and regional US airline carriers. American market share was 17.6% of passenger travel in the US Airline market in 2019. American Airlines is the leading domestic airline in the US by revenue passenger miles. The airline has ten hubs, and the primary Hub is Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW). American is part of the Oneworld airline alliance, which has a 15% global aviation market share of global passenger traffic in 2018. Delta market share was 17.5% of the US airline market in 2019. Delta Air Lines, or Delta, held the largest airline market share by revenue in 2018, but is the second biggest airline in the US. Delta has nine US hubs. The primary hub is Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL). Delta is part of the SkyTeam and SkyTeam Cargo airline alliances. The SkyTeam alliance’s global airline market share was 19% in 2018. Southwest market share was 16.9% of the US Airline market in 2019. Southwest stands apart from its large competitors as it does not use a traditional airline hub and spoke model. Southwest had 11 “operating bases” and eight "focus cities." Southwest is primarily a US domestic airline - the only airline with US airline market share that is in the top four without a significant international presence. United Airlines market share was 14.9% of the domestic US Airline market in 2019. United Airlines, or United, has seven hubs in the US. The airline's primary hub is Chicago-O'Hare (ORD). It is part of the Star Alliance network, which had a 22% global airline market share by passenger volume in 2018.
T4's research team can help you learn more about the US Airline industry with market analysis, competitive analysis, commercial Due Diligence, and other market research needs. This includes more in-depth on analysis on competitors in the US Airline market, including Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines, Envoy Air (Subsidiary of American Airlines Group), Republic Airways, SkyWest Airlines, and others. T4 provides research into related topics such as Aerospace & Defense, Air Cargo Services, Aircraft Manufacturing, Aircraft Parts & Equipment, Hospitality & Tourism, Airports, Automotive, Transportation, Shipping, and Logistics, as well as additional support in the Industrials Sector or other Sectors. Learn more about T4's strategy consulting services here.
Schedule a Demo