US airline passenger numbers drop in first half

U.S. airlines carried fewer domestic passengers but more international travelers during the first half of this year, the government said Thursday.

The overall number of scheduled passengers fell by 1.5 million, or 0.4 percent, to 378.2 million compared to the first six months of 2007, the Transportation Department's Bureau of Transportation Statistics said.

BTS said U.S. airlines carried 1.1 percent fewer domestic passengers and 5.1 percent more international passengers during the first half of the year.

In June, U.S. airlines carried 67.8 million scheduled passengers, down 2.7 percent from June 2007. That is the fourth month in a row that the …