Air travel in the US fell 5.3 percent in 2009, the Transportation Department reported on Monday, as a deep recession forced many households to cut back on expenses.

The number of passengers during the year fell to 769.6 million. The data includes domestic and international routes of US airlines as well as the flights of foreign airlines between the US and international destinations.

The US began pulling out of its deepest recession in decades in mid-2009, yet consumer spending remains sluggish and unemployment remains at 9.7 percent, near a quarter-century high.