War, disease trim air traffic

Monday, April 7, 2003 | 10:55 a.m.

DALLAS -- U.S. airline traffic fell 5.6 percent in March, as the war in Iraq and fear of a deadly strain of pneumonia that originated in Asia curbed international travel.

Miles flown by paying passengers on international flights fell 11.3 percent from the same month in 2002. Air travel within the U.S. fell 3.6 percent, based on average figures from the country's 10 largest carriers.

Consumers, already cutting back travel this year because of the weak economy, are shying away from air travel even more since the start of the U.S.-led war against Iraq and last month's outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, a pneumonia-like virus that has killed close to 100 people worldwide.

"People are edgy," said Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, a group of frequent business fliers.

archive