How Much Do Airlines Make per Flight (2026 Data)

A domestic flight by a U.S. airline took in about $23,958¹ in 2025 and kept about $408¹ of it as net profit, after fuel, crews, aircraft, airport charges, interest and taxes.²³⁴ That is about 1.7%² of the money the flight brought in, and it is an average: in 2020 the same flight lost about $5,937¹.⁵ At that margin, a few empty seats or a jump in fuel prices can turn a flight's profit into a loss.

The answer comes from three angles: U.S. airlines as a group, the three U.S. airlines that report their own flight counts, and airlines worldwide. One low-cost airline now collects more in add-on charges than in base fares, and the jump in jet fuel prices in 2026 is forecast to cut airline profit worldwide roughly in half.⁶⁷ The page also covers where the money comes from, where it goes, and one balance-sheet figure for a low-cost carrier.

How much do airlines make per flight?

What one domestic flight takes in

Airlines do not publish a figure per flight, so the numbers here are our calculation: a year's results for the U.S. airlines that file financial reports, domestic operations only, divided by the domestic flights of those same airlines in the same year. We take the list of airlines that filed scheduled passenger results for the year and add up the domestic departures of each of them, so commuter and air-taxi operators, foreign airlines and cargo airlines, which are not in the financial results, are left out of the flight count too. A flight is one departure, one take-off of one aircraft on one leg. In 2025 these airlines took in $187.8 billion² of domestic operating revenue across 7,838,856¹ domestic departures, or about $23,958¹ per flight.²⁴³

That revenue counts some money twice. The group includes regional airlines that fly under contract for the larger airlines, and most of their $11.2 billion¹ of domestic revenue in 2025, 6.0%¹ of the total, is paid by those larger airlines, whose own revenue already includes the passengers' fares.⁴ So revenue per flight overstates what passengers pay per flight; net profit is not affected, because the same payments are a cost for the larger airlines.

Revenue per flight fell to $13,136¹ in 2020, when planes flew nearly empty, and has stayed above $23,000¹ every year since 2022, against $18,126¹ in 2017.⁵⁸³ An average domestic flight of these airlines carried 107.7¹ passengers on board in 2025, counting a connecting traveler once on each flight, so revenue came to about $222¹ per passenger on board.³

Where the money comes from

Tickets bring in most of it. Fares were $187.2 billion², or 74.1%², of the $252.6 billion² in operating revenue that U.S. scheduled passenger airlines earned in 2025 on domestic and international flights combined.² Fares include about $10.7 billion¹ that regional airlines in the group report as passenger revenue, most of it paid by the larger airlines they fly for.⁴ Checked-bag fees added $7.4 billion² and reservation change fees $1.1 billion²; the remaining 22.5%¹ is all other operating revenue, which the yearly figures do not break down further.²

Bag and change fees are small money for the industry as a whole: together they were 3.4%¹ of operating revenue in 2025.² They matter far more to low-cost airlines, as the airline-by-airline section shows.

How many flights there are

U.S. and foreign airlines flew 10,862,482¹³ flights to, from and within the United States in 2025, 2.4%¹ fewer than the 11,133,317¹³ of 2019.¹³ The domestic flights of the airlines that file financial reports numbered 7,838,856¹ in 2025, or 86.7%¹ of all 9,036,469³ domestic departures; the rest were flown by cargo airlines, commuter and air-taxi operators and foreign airlines, which are left out of the per-flight figures.³⁴ In 2020 total flights fell to 6,709,666¹³.¹³

Planes also got fuller. The average domestic flight of these airlines carried 92.0¹ passengers in 2014 and 107.7¹ in 2025, after a peak of 112.2¹ in 2023.³ A straight line fitted to 2014-2025 reaches about 142¹ by 2050, a slower climb than the 2014-2019 pace; it is our calculation, not a forecast.

Where those passengers board is concentrated. Airports in California counted 111,723,917¹⁴ boardings in 2025, 11.5%¹ of all boardings at U.S. airports and territories, ahead of Florida with 108,202,040¹⁴ and Texas with 101,508,702¹⁴.¹⁴ The 2025 counts are preliminary; the final file for the year had not been posted by September 25, 2026.

So how much of that $23,958 is left once the plane has landed and every bill is paid?

How much profit airlines make per flight

Profit per domestic flight, 2014-2025

After every cost, U.S. airlines kept about $408¹ per domestic flight in 2025: $3.2 billion² of domestic net profit across the 7,838,856¹ domestic departures of the airlines that file financial reports.²⁴³ Profit and flights cover the same airlines: the flight count is the sum, airline by airline, of the domestic departures of every airline that filed scheduled passenger results for the year. The profit total is rounded to a tenth of a billion dollars, so the result lies between $402¹ and $415¹.

The 2025 figure is 71%¹ below the $1,418¹ per flight of 2019 and far from the 2015 peak of $2,506¹.¹⁵⁹ In 2020 the average domestic flight lost $5,937¹; in 2021 it made $61¹, with federal payroll support counted as income in both years.⁹¹⁰

A thin margin

Measured against revenue, the margin is thin. U.S. scheduled passenger airlines kept 2.4%² of operating revenue as net profit in 2025 and 2.7%² in 2024, against 7.5%¹ in 2019 and 14.7%¹ in 2015.²¹⁵ Net profit for the whole industry was $6.0 billion² in 2025, less than half of the $14.7 billion⁹ of 2019, and the $35.0 billion⁵ loss of 2020 was more than twice the 2019 profit.⁵

Domestic flying earns less per dollar than international flying. In 2025 U.S. airlines' domestic operations returned 1.7%² of revenue as net profit and their international operations 4.4%².² International results swing harder: a $3.8 billion⁹ profit in 2019 turned into a $6.8 billion⁵ loss in 2020, and international flying lost $256 million¹¹ again in 2022.⁵¹¹

Profit per flight fell by 71%¹ from 2019 to 2025 while the industry's operating revenue grew by 28.7%¹.⁹² The next section shows where the extra money went.

Where the money goes

Operating revenue of U.S. scheduled passenger airlines reached $252.6 billion² in 2025, 1.49¹ times the 2016 level, but operating expenses rose to $241.2 billion².²⁸ That left an operating profit of $11.4 billion² before interest and taxes. In 2020 costs fell far less than revenue: $123.8 billion⁵ of operating expenses against $77.3 billion⁵ of revenue.⁵ The industry posted 11¹⁵ straight years of operating profit up to 2019, then an operating loss of $46.5 billion⁵ in 2020.¹⁵⁵

A straight line through 2013-2025 revenue reaches about $376 billion¹ by 2050, close to where the 2013-2019 pace would lead; it is our calculation, not a forecast. For comparison, the worldwide industry outlook expects airline revenue to grow from an estimated $1,065 billion⁷ in 2025 to $1,165 billion⁷ in 2026, helped by higher fares.⁷

Fuel and labor

Labor is the bigger of the two main costs: U.S. airlines spent $91.2 billion² on labor in 2025, 37.8%² of operating expenses and 1.84¹ times the 2016 bill, while fuel cost $40.4 billion², or 16.8%².²¹⁷ Fuel took its biggest share of the period in 2022, 24.2%¹¹ of expenses, when the bill reached $49.1 billion¹¹.¹¹

From 2022 to 2025 the fuel bill fell by $8.7 billion¹ while labor cost rose by $27.2 billion¹.¹¹² Averages across the industry hide large differences between airlines, which the next section shows.

Airline by airline

Revenue and profit of seven U.S. airline groups

Among seven large and mid-size U.S. airline groups, Delta earned the most in 2025: $5,005 million¹⁸ of net income on $63,364 million¹⁸ of revenue, a 7.9%¹ net margin.¹⁸ United kept 5.7%¹ of its revenue.¹⁹ American, with revenue of $54,633 million²⁰, kept $111 million²⁰, or 0.2%¹.²⁰ JetBlue lost $602 million²¹ and Allegiant $44.7 million⁶.²¹⁶ The figures are for whole groups, including regional flying bought from partner airlines.

Over a longer span the groups rise and fall with the industry, but not evenly. Delta, Southwest and Alaska made a profit in every year from 2021 to 2025, while JetBlue lost money in every year from 2020 to 2025.^24252621 In 2020 the three largest groups lost between $7,069 million²⁷ and $12,385 million²⁴ each.²⁷²⁴

Unit figures show the same squeeze per seat. An available seat mile is one seat flown one mile, and each airline reports revenue and cost per seat mile under its own definition, so the table gives each definition and the figures are not a like-for-like comparison.¹⁸ Delta took in 21.26¹⁸ cents of total revenue per available seat mile against a cost of 19.31¹⁸ cents; Southwest's figures were 15.59²² and 15.35²² cents.²²

Southwest: profit per trip

Southwest reports the number of trips it flies, so its profit per flight can be worked out directly. In 2025 it flew 1,415,822²² trips and earned $441 million²², or $311¹ per trip, on revenue of $19,821¹ and operating costs of $19,519¹ per trip.²² Each trip carried about 94.7¹ revenue passengers, so net profit came to about $3.29¹ per passenger.²²

Per trip, Southwest earned $1,682¹ in 2019 and $2,491¹ in 2017, a year lifted by a one-time tax benefit of $92 million³⁸.³⁸ In 2020 it lost $3,425¹ per trip.³⁹ Revenue per trip kept rising instead, from $16,398¹ in 2019 to $19,821¹ in 2025, so the drop in profit came from higher costs per trip.²²

A straight line through 2014-2025 reaches about $27,370¹ per trip by 2050, a little above the path of the 2014-2019 years; it is our calculation, not a forecast, and it is in nominal dollars.

Allegiant: add-on fares and a resort

Allegiant flew 137,039⁶ departures in 2025. Its parent company lost $44.7 million⁶ that year, or $326¹ per departure, after losing $1,976¹ per departure in 2024; in 2023 it earned $976¹ per departure.⁶³² The losses are tied to the company's Sunseeker Resort: special charges, net of recoveries, of $368.1 million⁶ in 2024 and $137.7 million⁶ in 2025, including the resort's impairment and sale.⁶ Operating income stayed positive at $37.2 million⁶ in 2025.⁶

Allegiant's fares show how a low-cost airline makes its money. In 2025 its average scheduled-service passenger paid $56.89⁶ in base fare, $68.62⁶ in air-related charges and $7.73⁶ for third-party products, $133.25⁶ in total.⁶ Add-on charges were 51.5%¹ of the average fare. The total fare fell from $142.15⁶ in 2023 to $133.25 in 2025.⁶

Alaska's airline group

Alaska's airline group bought Hawaiian Airlines on Sept 18, 2024, so its 2024 departures and results include Hawaiian only from that date, and 2025 is the first full year with it.²³ The group earned $857¹ per departure in 2024 and $184¹ in 2025, on 543²³ thousand departures and revenue of $26,223¹ per departure in 2025.²³ Its departures are printed in thousands, so each per-departure figure carries a rounding of about 0.1%¹.

One more airline figure answers a narrower question, about a low-cost carrier's balance sheet.

The total current assets of Allegiant Travel in 2023

Allegiant reported $1,001,130,000³² of total current assets on December 31, 2023, down $273.1 million¹ from $1,274,269,000³² a year earlier.³² Current assets are cash and other resources a company expects to use or turn into cash within a year. Short-term investments made up 67.1%¹ of the 2023 total, or $671.4 million³², and cash and cash equivalents $143.3 million³².³²

The figure peaked at $1,338,411,000³¹ at the end of 2021 and has drifted down since, to $967,653,000⁶ at the end of 2025.³¹⁶ Before 2020 it stayed between $401,912,000⁴² and $562,221,000³⁰.⁴²³⁰

Airlines around the world

Profit per flight worldwide

Worldwide, airlines are estimated to have earned $45.0 billion⁷ of net profit in 2025 on 38.9 million⁷ flights.⁷ No per-flight profit is published; dividing one total by the other, our own calculation, gives about $1,157¹ per flight. For 2026 the outlook expects net profit to fall to $23.0 billion⁷ as jet fuel prices rise almost 70%, a 2.0%⁷ net margin, which by the same division is about $594¹ per flight on 38.7 million⁷ flights.⁷ By our division the figure was $704¹ per flight in 2019 and a loss of $6,990¹ in 2020.

Per departing passenger, worldwide net profit is forecast at $4.50⁷ in 2026, down from $9.10⁷ in 2025.⁷ The outlook's profit includes cargo and its flight count is not defined further, and worldwide flights cover a different mix of airlines and routes than the U.S. domestic figures above, so the two per-flight numbers are not directly comparable.

Where the money comes from worldwide

Passenger tickets are an estimated 72.1%¹ of airline revenue worldwide in 2025, cargo 14.2%¹ and ancillary and other revenue 13.7%¹.⁷ Cargo revenue peaked at $210 billion⁷ in 2021, when passenger revenue was $242 billion⁷, and is estimated at $151 billion⁷ in 2025.⁷

The fuel shock reverses the cost mix. Fuel is forecast at 31.4%⁷ of airline expenses worldwide in 2026, ahead of labor at 24.2%⁷, after labor had edged ahead in 2025 with 26.3%⁷ against fuel's 25.4%⁷.⁷

By region

Profit per passenger differs widely by region. In 2025 Middle East airlines earned an estimated $31.50⁷ per passenger, about three times North America's $10.80⁷.⁷ For 2026 the order flips: with traffic forecast to fall and hubs disrupted by the conflict in the region, Middle East airlines are forecast to lose $4.3 billion⁷, or $21.40⁷ per passenger, a -6.1%⁷ net margin.⁷ North American airlines are forecast at $8.10⁷ per passenger, $8.40¹ less than the $16.50⁷ of 2019, and airlines in Africa at $0.40⁷. Regions group airlines by the country where they are registered.⁷

In total dollars, airlines in Europe are forecast to earn the most in 2026, $9.6 billion⁷, just ahead of North America's $9.4 billion⁷.⁷ Airlines in Asia Pacific lost $45.0 billion⁷ in 2020, the largest loss of any region, and were still in the red in 2022.⁷ Airlines in Latin America earned $0.2 billion⁷ in 2024 and an estimated $1.9 billion⁷ in 2025, and Middle East airlines made money every year from 2022 to 2025 before the forecast loss of 2026.⁷

What this means for travelers

A full plane decides the result. With about 107.7¹ passengers on an average domestic flight and about $408¹ of net profit, each passenger on board leaves the airline about $3.79¹, and the whole profit of an average flight equals the revenue from fewer than two passengers.²³⁴

Fees matter more to low-cost fares than to the industry. Bag and change fees are 3.4%¹ of U.S. airline revenue, but at Allegiant add-on charges were 51.5%¹ of the average fare in 2025.²⁶ Comparing a low base fare with a full-service fare means adding the charges first.

Capacity moves fast when demand drops. Flights to, from and within the United States fell from 11,133,317¹³ in 2019 to 6,709,666¹³ in 2020.¹³ Even with that cut, a domestic flight carried 71.0¹ passengers in 2020, down from 103.9¹ in 2019.³

Conclusions

1. A flight's profit is small change next to its revenue. U.S. airlines kept about $408 of the $23,958 a domestic flight took in during 2025, about 1.7%, or roughly $3.79 per passenger on board.²³⁴
2. Revenue per flight recovered; profit per flight did not. Revenue per domestic flight rose from $13,136 in 2020 to $23,958 in 2025, while profit per flight was 71% below 2019 ($408 against $1,418) and labor cost 1.84 times its 2016 level.⁹²³⁴
3. Size does not buy margin. Delta kept 7.9% of its revenue in 2025 and American 0.2%, on revenue of $63,364 million and $54,633 million; JetBlue lost money in every year from 2020 to 2025.¹⁸²⁰²¹
4. Where an airline counts its own flights, results per flight swing. Southwest earned $311 per trip in 2025 against $1,682 in 2019. Allegiant's parent company lost $1,976 per departure in 2024 and $326 in 2025, mainly from charges for its resort; that is the whole company's result, not the airline's profit per flight.²²⁶
5. A fuel shock can turn the best-paid region into a loss. Middle East airlines earned an estimated $31.50 per passenger in 2025 but are forecast to lose $21.40 per passenger in 2026, while North American airlines are forecast at $8.10, below their 2019 level of $16.50.⁷