U.S. airlines - total operating revenue streams 2004-2023

In 2023, U.S. airlines generated nearly 223.31 billion U.S. dollars in operating revenue, a decrease of nearly 20 percent compared to the previous year.

Revenue streams

Operating revenue is the revenue generated by a company from its primary business activities. In the case of most airlines, we can divide operating revenue into four main types: airfares, ancillary, cargo and other. Airfares is simply the revenue generated from the sale of flights, while cargo is any additional revenue generated from transporting freight or mail in addition to passengers. Ancillary airlines are the additional fees that are sometimes charged to passengers for extra services such as seat allocation, additional baggage, meals and access to an in-flight entertainment system or in-flight Wi-Fi. Ancillary revenue can comprise a significant portion of an airline’s total revenue, especially for low-cost carriers. Finally, other includes revenue from regular non-flight services such as frequent flyer programs or consumer credit cards offered by the airline.