It’s been a banner year for air travel, with the busiest-ever Thanksgiving in the United States and an upcoming holiday travel season that’s expected to shatter records globally.
With traffic expected to continue climbing next year, OAG, a data platform for the aviation and broader travel industries, released an analysis outlining the busiest routes around the world in 2024, as well as within the U.S.
OAG ranks the routes by the number of seats flown in either direction over the course of the year, rather than the number of flights. For instance, one flight operated by a British Airways Airbus A380 would contribute 469 seats each time it’s flown.
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Only one U.S. route cracked the international top 10, with New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) sliding in at No. 10. More than 4 million seats are scheduled to fly on the route by the end of 2024, a 3% increase from 2023, OAG said.
Asia broadly dominated the global rankings as the region continues its post-pandemic recovery. Service between Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) near Taipei, Taiwan, ranked as the world’s busiest international route with 6.8 million seats — a 48% increase over last year, when the route ranked third, but a 15% decrease from its peak in 2019.
In the United States, the top 10 list of busiest domestic routes saw a bit of movement compared to previous years, but was largely unsurprising, with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to Orlando International Airport (MCO) moving into the top spot, reflecting Orlando’s longstanding draw in the leisure market.
A newcomer to the list, however, was New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), which ranked No. 7. That route saw the highest capacity growth compared to the previous year, OAG said, growing 17% over 2023 levels.
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“Although American Airlines and United maintained similar route capacity from New York La Guardia to Chicago, the addition of 700 flights from Spirit Airlines helped position it as one of the busiest U.S. routes this year, pointing to an evolving competitive landscape,” said John Grant, the chief analyst at OAG.
Interestingly, the No. 2 route — Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) to Maui’s Kahului Airport (OGG) — actually had 7% fewer seats compared to 2023. The decrease was likely the result of numerous factors, including ongoing recovery from the 2023 wildfires and softness in the Japan market for tourism to Hawaii. Capacity was still 17% above 2019 levels.
| Rank | Route | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ATL-MCO | 3,474,713 |
| 2 | HNL-OGG | 3,369,790 |
| 3 | LAS-LAX | 3,354,849 |
| 4 | DEN-PHX | 3,214,473 |
| 5 | LAX-SFO | 3,158,918 |
| 6 | JFK-LAX | 3,158,654 |
| 7 | LGA-ORD | 3,118,179 |
| 8 | ATL-FLL | 2,998,172 |
| 9 | ATL-LGA | 2,918,755 |
| 10 | DEN-LAS | 2,885,378 |
Head over to OAG to check out the full 2024 busiest routes report.
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