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Up to three million fly daily on busiest U.S. air routes

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Up to three million fly daily on busiest U.S. air routes
Policy
Webp ed
Ed Bastian, Chief Executive Officer | Delta Air Lines

Between June 2024 and May 2025, more than three million passengers traveled daily on flights to, from, and within the United States. This data is based on US Department of Transportation statistics that tracked every airport pair with at least ten daily passengers, totaling over 5,000 routes.

The passenger figures account for both local travelers flying directly between two airports and those making connections to other destinations across the country. The importance of transit traffic was highlighted by the dominance of major fortress hubs—airports where a single carrier operates between 72% and 88% of flights.

According to the analysis, New York JFK to London Heathrow was the most popular route in this period, with an average of 8,760 daily passengers. This figure includes all travelers using these airports as part of their journey, not just those flying point-to-point. British Airways plans to operate nine daily departures on this route next summer as it and Delta discontinue service between London Gatwick and JFK. "Its pole position is partly because this examination is at the airport level. The results would be very different at the city level. They'd also vary if only local traffic were considered, rather than the whole market. That is why Los Angeles to JFK is not the top domestic airport pair. Atlanta to Orlando is, but only because six in ten passengers connected elsewhere. It'd only rank 40th or so for local passengers."

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The second-busiest route was Atlanta to Orlando International Airport with 7,717 daily passengers; however, only about 40% were traveling solely between these cities while the majority connected elsewhere through these hubs. "In the 12 months to May 2025, an average of 7,717 daily passengers flew between Atlanta—where Delta has 79% of flights—and Orlando. Obviously, most people flew Delta (70%). They mainly did so on the Boeing 757, with this route being the world's top market for the type. Southwest was next (12%), followed by Frontier (12%) and the troubled Spirit (6%)."

Delta Airlines accounted for most passenger traffic on Atlanta-Orlando (70%), operating primarily Boeing 757s—the highest volume for that aircraft type globally on any single route during this period. "Just' 3,087 of the passengers only flew between the two airports (40%). They did not connect elsewhere. This means 4,630 daily passengers connected elsewhere (60%). Booking data shows the five most popular airport-level origins and destinations via Atlanta were Memphis, Huntsville, Las Vegas, Kansas City, and Indianapolis." Transfer rates varied by airline: more than seven out of ten Delta customers transited onward compared with less than a quarter among Spirit Airlines’ largely point-to-point clientele.

Los Angeles International Airport’s link with New York JFK ranked third overall with nearly 7,600 daily travelers—most flying direct rather than connecting.

Other notable high-traffic routes included Los Angeles-San Francisco International (7,535), Las Vegas-Los Angeles International (7,320), Chicago O’Hare-New York LaGuardia (7,211), Denver-Phoenix Sky Harbor (6,808), Honolulu-Los Angeles International (6,586), Atlanta-New York LaGuardia (6,560), and Atlanta-Fort Lauderdale (6,510).

On Denver-Phoenix Sky Harbor—a distance of about 523 nautical miles—Southwest Airlines carried most travelers at a share of around 41%. "With 6,808 daily passengers, this airport pair...ranked seventh overall. Most people flew Southwest (41%). This was influenced by various factors including...the myriad of connection opportunities at both ends." United followed with a smaller share since Denver’s hub status is challenged by Southwest’s strong presence; Frontier had roughly one-fifth of total traffic while American Airlines held about one-tenth despite Phoenix being its hub.

Load factors across these top markets generally ranged from approximately 78% up to as high as about 90%, indicating consistently full flights throughout much of this period.

Organizations Included in this History
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