US airlines continue to cruise in 2023

Key Takeaways:

• Despite tighter budgets, travel remains a significant source of discretionary spending, with US airlines continuing to see gains

  • The number of passengers passing through TSA checkpoints rose 10.4% YoY in 2Q23; this is inline with both download and MAU growth for the cohort, which rose 1.4% and 12% YoY, respectively, per Sensor Tower data

  • New and resurrected user growth YoY in the US at Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines exceeded the rise in churn in 2Q23

  • Two of the biggest growth drivers in travel are the return of international and business travelers, coupled with the addition of international routes by the larger US carriers

  • US airlines are also seeing gains from a surge of demand internationally 2, with downloads and MAUs rising 2% YoY and 38% YoY, respectively, outside the US in 2Q23, per Sensor Tower data

  • User engagement on airline mobile apps appears to be following cyclical trends, with a rise in both average session count and time spent of 4% QoQ and 1% QoQ in 2Q23, respectively, as late spring and early summer are peak travel periods

For more information, request the full report from reports@sensortower.com.