Economy

America's Busiest Air Route

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: March 14, 2021 8:55 am

Around this time last year, travel restrictions and quarantine mandates began to pop up in states across the U.S. in response to the threat from the novel coronavirus. Many people chose not to travel by air, both to decrease their risk of contracting the virus and in an effort to help reduce its spread across the nation.

The number of commercial flights in the U.S. decreased nearly 50% from 2019 to 2020, and flights in general were booked at less capacity than usual, not only because fewer people were flying but also because many airlines limited passenger numbers to allow for social distancing onboard. The number of passengers screened at TSA checkpoints remained below 200,000 every day during April of 2020, as compared to over 2 million daily for most of April 2019.

Despite restrictions, air travel within the United States has continued, and this spring airlines are seeing an increase in flight interest and bookings. While business travel has not recovered, people are still travelling for leisure, with national parks and Florida beaches among top travel destinations. (These are the latest travel restrictions in each state.)

Using data from the air travel intelligence agency OAG, 24/7 Tempo has picked the busiest domestic flight route in the United States during February of 2021. This is defined as the one recording the largest number of scheduled seats. Data is for either direction on each route. Additionally, the top four busiest flight routes are between Atlanta, Georgia, and destinations in Florida including Miami and Orlando.

Atlanta, Georgia to Fort Lauderdale, Florida is America’s busiest air route based on our analysis.
> Origin airport: Atlanta (ATL)
> Destination airport: Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
> Total Seats (February 2021): 215,248

Click here to read America’s busiest air routes now.