People are flying more than in the spring, but air travel is down 65% from a year before

The coronavirus pandemic has hit the air travel industry hard. The number of monthly passengers on US-based airlines dropped 96% from 67.8 million in February to 3 million in April according to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Though that number has rebounded somewhat, September passenger levels were still down by 65% compared to September 2019, according to preliminary BTS data. As the nation grapples with a record number of coronavirus infections heading into the holiday season, the industry faces another period of uncertainty.