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US-Europe air travel at record high, New York to London route tops list

US-Europe air travel at record high, New York to London route tops list
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Over the course of 2024, 77.75 million passengers traveled between the United States and Europe, marking the highest number in recorded history. This figure represents a 7% rise from 2023 and a 3% increase over pre-pandemic levels in 2019, though it does not reflect changes in fares. The ten busiest routes, with New York JFK to London Heathrow leading the way, accounted for a significant portion of this traffic.

According to the US Department of Transportation T-100 data, 337 US-European airport pairs each hosted over 5,000 round-trip passengers. Among airlines, Delta Air Lines carried the most passengers with 11.40 million, trailed closely by United Airlines with 10.96 million, American Airlines with 8.38 million, British Airways with 7.63 million, and Lufthansa with 5.29 million. However, United is set to overtake Delta for the most available seats during the 2025 summer season.

Within these routes, London Heathrow featured prominently, appearing in seven out of the top ten US-European markets. Collectively, Heathrow's US operations accounted for 17.56 million passengers, more than double the traffic volume of its closest competitor, Paris CDG. In 2024, travel between New York JFK and London Heathrow alone reached 3.16 million passengers, with British Airways capturing the largest market share at 39%.

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The list of top routes also included New York JFK to Paris CDG, Los Angeles to London Heathrow, New York JFK to Rome Fiumicino, and Chicago O'Hare to London Heathrow among others. "British Airways" had a commanding presence across many routes, especially to and from London Heathrow.

Transatlantic travel to Southern Europe showed significant growth, with US traffic to Spain, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, and Greece rising by 27% compared to pre-pandemic levels. This upward trend surpasses overall European market growth, which was at 3%.

The route from New York JFK to Rome Fiumicino exemplified this trend, moving from 18th place in 2019 to fourth in 2024 with traffic increasing by 47%. The route experienced an unsustainable surge in flights, leading to a reduction in daily departures by 2025.

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Organizations Included in this History
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