I tend to follow airline operational reports quite closely each month but I didn't realize that the U.S. Dept. of Transportation publishes a yearly analysis of load factors and traffic for U.S. airlines.
Even though the increase is small, it did set a record.
U.S. Airlines Set Record in 2014 for Load Factor and International Travel
The year 2014 was a banner one for U.S. airlines, according to figures released by the Department of Transportation on Thursday.
The agency’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics said that the load factor for all U.S. airlines covering both domestic and international flights in 2014 was 83.4%, a 0.3 percentage point increase over the prior year....
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(The above was published in FBT, where I serve as ed.dir.)