Without Volcano, Air Travel Soars

After bowing to the awesome power of an Icelandic volcano in April, international air travel rebounded nicely in May and is now flying above even pre-recession levels.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says passenger traffic was up 11.7% compared to May of 2009, while freight demand spiked 34.3%. "Passenger traffic is now 1% above pre-recession levels," according to IATA's Giovanni Bisignani, "while the freight market is 6% bigger."

Which U.S. airlines had the merriest month of May? Continental and American Airlines were probably happiest to see the volcano behave. Each gathered over 40% of its revenue from non-domestic flights last year:

Airline	Domestic Revenue	Non-Domestic Revenue	Total	% Non-Domestic
Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL  )	$6,941	$5,645	$12,586	45%
AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR  )	$11,974	$7,943	$19,917	40%
UAL Corp. (Nasdaq: UAUA  )	$10,775	$5,560	$16,335	34%
Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL  )	$19,171	$8,892	$28,063	32%
US Airways (NYSE: LCC  )	$8,285	$2,173	$10,458	21%

Data from Capital IQ. Revenue numbers in millions.