Special Report

America’s Busiest Air Routes Right Now

Josie Green

Published: March 10, 2021 11:00 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. (See the impact of COVID-19 on traffic in America’s largest cities.) 

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.)

Click here to see America’s busiest air routes right now

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

Source: RomanKhomlyak / Getty Images

10. Phoenix, Arizona – Seattle, Washington
> Origin airport: Phoenix (PHX)
> Destination airport: Seattle (SEA)]
> Total Seats (February 2021): 147,380

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Source: martince2 / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

9. Minneapolis, Minnesota – Phoenix, Arizona
> Origin airport: Minneapolis (MSP)
> Destination airport: Phoenix (PHX)]
> Total Seats (February 2021): 138,328

Source: 130478877@N02 / Flickr

8. Los Angeles, California – Seattle, Washington
> Origin airport: Los Angeles (LAX)
> Destination airport: Seattle (SEA)]
> Total Seats (February 2021): 152,243

Source: MoJoStudio / iStock via Getty Images

7. Dallas, Texas – Los Angeles, California
> Origin airport: Dallas (DFW)
> Destination airport: Los Angeles (LAX)]
> Total Seats (February 2021): 151,692

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Source: rypson / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

6. Dallas, Texas – Las Vegas, Nevada
> Origin airport: Dallas (DFW)
> Destination airport: Las Vegas (LAS)]
> Total Seats (February 2021): 143,884

N625AW_120313_PHX_4028 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Rosedale7175

5. Denver, Colorado – Phoenix, Arizona
> Origin airport: Denver (DEN)
> Destination airport: Phoenix (PHX)]
> Total Seats (February 2021): 162,978

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Source: TriggerPhoto / iStock via Getty Images

4. Atlanta, Georgia – Tampa, Florida
> Origin airport: Atlanta (ATL)
> Destination airport: Tampa (TPA)]
> Total Seats (February 2021): 160,822

Source: lavendertime / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

3. Atlanta, Georgia – Miami, Florida
> Origin airport: Atlanta (ATL)
> Destination airport: Miami (MIA)]
> Total Seats (February 2021): 150,288

Source: zx4142 / Flickr

2. Atlanta, Georgia – Orlando, Florida
> Origin airport: Atlanta (ATL)
> Destination airport: Orlando (MCO)]
> Total Seats (February 2021): 207,190

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Source: Yaroslav Sabitov / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

1. Atlanta, Georgia – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
> Origin airport: Atlanta (ATL)
> Destination airport: Fort Lauderdale (FLL)]
> Total Seats (February 2021): 215,248