Preliminary results from the US Department of Commerce indicate that the US outbound non-stop air market totaled 38.7 million in 2009, 3 percent less than in 2008.

The top outbound markets last year were Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, and Mexico, but all including, Central American and Canada, recorded drops in departures. The Middle East and Africa experienced the strongest growth in 2009 while air travel to Oceania and South America also increased.

The second half of the year showed improvement with five months out of the last six months of the year registering month-over-month increases for US air travel abroad. Air departures during the second half also increased one percent as opposed to an eight percent decline in the first-half.

The outbound air market in December 2009 jumped up 1 percent compared to December 2008, reaching 3.5 million. However, American travelers spent less on fares during December, with US travelers on foreign carrier passenger fares totaling US$2.3 billion, down 17 percent compared to December 2008.

US travelers on air and vessel transportation decreased 20 percent to US$26.0 billion.