US Airline Industry Caps a Strong 2025—What Lies Ahead in 2026

Experts expect large-scale events and improved operational reliability to continue supporting airline revenue in the coming year.

An American Airlines plane taxis as a Delta Air Lines aircraft lands at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., on Jan. 24, 2022. Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Despite a shaky start earlier in the year, U.S. airline travel reached another milestone during the 2025 winter holiday season. Major airlines are expected to carry 52.6 million passengers over the 18 days from Dec. 19 to Jan. 5, according to a forecast released by Airlines for America.

While full-year data are not yet available, figures from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics indicate that travel demand remained broadly steady in the 12 months ending September, roughly in line with the previous year. U.S. scheduled carriers transported approximately 979.8 million domestic and international passenger enplanements, or passenger boardings, compared with about 983 million in 2024, a record year for airline travel.

Headwinds and Tailwinds

“The airline industry had some challenges this year. At the start of the year, air travel declined sharply,“ Steve Schwab, CEO of Casago, told The Epoch Times. ”This came alongside an increase in road trips. Whether due to financial or broader uncertainty, many people chose to travel differently.”