Southwest tops in total passengers

Southwest Airlines Co. flew more people than any other U.S. carrier in August, taking the lead for the first time, government figures showed Thursday.

The 8.7 million passengers carried by Southwest for the month exceeded the 8.5 million by AMR Corp.’s American Airlines, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics found. American’s total includes 2 million international travelers, whereas Southwest flies only in the U.S.

The figures are “truly a confirmation that Southwest has become the major player in the domestic airline business,” said David Stempler, who heads the Air Travelers Assn. consumer group. “Low-fare carriers are the direction of the future.”

Southwest, the world’s largest low-fare airline, hasn’t had a quarterly loss since 1991 and continued to expand as larger rivals retrenched after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Dallas-based airline has carried the most domestic passengers since 2003.

The company’s growth has mirrored that of other low-fare carriers as passengers seek cheap fares without frills. The world’s low-fare airlines doubled capacity in the last four years and offer 17% of seats for sale worldwide, OAG Worldwide, a London-based travel data provider, said in September.

Southwest added service in October to Washington’s Dulles airport, its 63rd destination.

The government’s measure of Southwest’s lead is “enplanements.” By that standard, Southwest passengers flying from Baltimore to Phoenix with one stop would be counted twice.

American, based in Fort Worth, is the world’s largest carrier in miles flown by paying travelers, a measurement known within the industry as revenue passenger miles.

Southwest’s shares rose 2 cents to $15.96.