Summer preview: fewer flights, more passengers?

If the first three months of this year are any indication, air travelers are in for one hell of a summer. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics this morning released traffic figures for the first quarter of 2007, showing that in March, domestic airlines operated fewer flights but carried more passengers. Claustrophobic travelers, beware.

Domestically, U.S. airlines carried 156.4 million scheduled passengers during the first three months of 2007, up 1.2 percent from the 154.5 million transported during the same period last year. On international routes, the growth was slightly better. Airlines carried 21.3 million scheduled passengers during the same period, up 4.9 percent from the 20.3 million they carried during the same period in 2006.

The number of flights operated domestically remained essentially flat for the first three months. But for March, airlines operated 814,700 flights, down 1.1 percent from the year-ago period. (Internationally, the growth in flights was only about 3 percent for March.)

Now what exactly does this mean? Well, if it becomes a trend, which is to say that fewer flights are carrying more passengers, we could see dramatically higher load factors (that’s the airline equivalent of hotel occupancy rates) for the busy second quarter.

Translation: the flight you’re planning to take this summer probably won’t be full. It’ll be oversold.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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