JFK Airport Terminal 4

Less people flew into, out of or within the United States last year according to a report released today by the Transportation Department.

The recession is to blame for the decline, as 769.6 million people took to the sky in 2009.

The data included both domestic and international travel as well as flights on foreign airlines that used the United States as a layover.

With less seats to fill, carriers cut back on using as many of their planes, which meant more crowded flights in the end.

The hardest hit category was leisure and business travel. Both have since seen signs of rebounding by 2011.

Source: Business Week