Feeling Squeezed?

There's a good reason you're feeling squeezed on airplanes. They're all full.

The latest data, for August, show just how full.

United-Continental, for example, reports a domestic load factor of 88.4 percent, on a decline of 3.3 percent in passengers for August. That also is an indication of declining seat capacity as airlines mothball smaller planes, especially 50-seat regional jets. (Load factor is the number of seats filled with paying customers).

Delta reported a domestic load factor of 86.5 for August, on a 0.8 percent decline in passengers carried.

The others haven't reported yet, but they'll show similar numbers.

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