Air travel looks very different now than it did just a few years ago when the coronavirus pandemic grounded folks around the world, putting a halt to travel for both leisure and business.
In 2020, passenger traffic on U.S. airlines was at its lowest since the mid-1980s, with just 369 million passengers. In 2021, the U.S. started to get back to more normal air travel levels, and by 2022, the country was up to 853 million airline passengers. By the looks of it, 2023 is likely to outpace those numbers and return to pre-pandemic levels—nearly 3 million people flew in and out of U.S. airports daily as of April 2023, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration's Air Traffic Organization.
When you're at the airport, shuffling around with your roller bag, backpack, neck pillow, and water bottle among the thousands of other passengers doing the same, you're probably not too concerned with more than your flight. Is it on time? Who will be sitting next to you? Did your checked bag make it onto the plane?
But when you're not in flight mode, you may be wondering where all of the other folks at your local airport are traveling to. To answer that question, Stacker compiled a list of the most common domestic flights from Los Angeles International using data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Destinations are ranked by total passengers from October 2022 to September 2023.
Read on to find out if your flight patterns are similar to your fellow Los Angeles International travelers.
You may also like: Highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in Los Angeles by diners
Uladzik Kryhin // Shutterstock
1 / 20#20. Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International (San Jose, CA)
- Passengers: 478,113 (1.9% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. Southwest Airlines: 248,611
--- #2. SkyWest Airlines: 216,623
--- #3. Horizon Air: 10,820
Nadia Yong // Shutterstock
2 / 20#19. Portland International (Portland, OR)
- Passengers: 496,243 (1.9% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. Alaska Airlines: 216,424
--- #2. Delta Air Lines: 198,380
--- #3. SkyWest Airlines: 64,547
ostreetphotography // Shutterstock
3 / 20#18. Minneapolis-St Paul International (Minneapolis, MN)
- Passengers: 501,787 (1.9% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. Delta Air Lines: 381,293
--- #2. Sun Country Airlines d/b/a MN Airlines: 108,332
--- #3. Spirit Air Lines: 11,942
Songquan Deng // Shutterstock
4 / 20#17. Orlando International (Orlando, FL)
- Passengers: 509,068 (2.0% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. Delta Air Lines: 221,695
--- #2. American Airlines: 121,069
--- #3. United Air Lines: 111,754
#16. Austin - Bergstrom International (Austin, TX)
lunamarina // Shutterstock
6 / 20#15. Logan International (Boston, MA)
- Passengers: 625,446 (2.4% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. JetBlue Airways: 233,148
--- #2. Delta Air Lines: 171,640
--- #3. United Air Lines: 110,336
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
7 / 20#14. Miami International (Miami, FL)
- Passengers: 639,651 (2.5% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. American Airlines: 491,524
--- #2. JetBlue Airways: 103,018
--- #3. Delta Air Lines: 43,946
#13. Salt Lake City International (Salt Lake City, UT)
- Passengers: 643,919 (2.5% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. Delta Air Lines: 403,509
--- #2. JetBlue Airways: 91,811
--- #3. Southwest Airlines: 56,885
Nate Hovee // Shutterstock
9 / 20#12. Phoenix Sky Harbor International (Phoenix, AZ)
- Passengers: 696,067 (2.7% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. American Airlines: 265,130
--- #2. Southwest Airlines: 247,673
--- #3. SkyWest Airlines: 112,563
#11. George Bush Intercontinental/Houston (Houston, TX)
Andrew Zarivny // Shutterstock
11 / 20#10. Denver International (Denver, CO)
- Passengers: 932,091 (3.6% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. United Air Lines: 494,550
--- #2. Southwest Airlines: 249,098
--- #3. Delta Air Lines: 113,848
#9. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (Atlanta, GA)
- Passengers: 940,466 (3.6% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. Delta Air Lines: 738,807
--- #2. Spirit Air Lines: 128,359
--- #3. American Airlines: 62,854
kan_khampanya // Shutterstock
13 / 20#8. Seattle/Tacoma International (Seattle, WA)
- Passengers: 999,804 (3.9% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. Alaska Airlines: 504,840
--- #2. Delta Air Lines: 331,301
--- #3. United Air Lines: 60,805
#7. Dallas/Fort Worth International (Dallas/Fort Worth, TX)
- Passengers: 1,045,065 (4.0% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. American Airlines: 765,122
--- #2. Spirit Air Lines: 191,563
--- #3. Delta Air Lines: 87,613
#6. Newark Liberty International (Newark, NJ)
Leigh Trail // Shutterstock
16 / 20#5. Daniel K Inouye International (Honolulu, HI)
- Passengers: 1,160,001 (4.5% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. United Air Lines: 341,598
--- #2. Hawaiian Airlines: 279,143
--- #3. Delta Air Lines: 218,179
marchello74 // Shutterstock
17 / 20#4. Chicago O'Hare International (Chicago, IL)
- Passengers: 1,204,053 (4.7% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. United Air Lines: 620,139
--- #2. American Airlines: 432,654
--- #3. Spirit Air Lines: 149,871
Pete Niesen // Shutterstock
18 / 20#3. San Francisco International (San Francisco, CA)
- Passengers: 1,320,172 (5.1% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. United Air Lines: 385,485
--- #2. Delta Air Lines: 279,644
--- #3. SkyWest Airlines: 236,760
randy andy // Shutterstock
19 / 20#2. Harry Reid International (Las Vegas, NV)
- Passengers: 1,326,334 (5.1% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. Southwest Airlines: 362,873
--- #2. Spirit Air Lines: 248,542
--- #3. Delta Air Lines: 237,228
Thiago Leite // Shutterstock
20 / 20#1. John F. Kennedy International (New York, NY)
- Passengers: 1,420,886 (5.5% of all passengers)
- Top carriers:
--- #1. Delta Air Lines: 625,261
--- #2. JetBlue Airways: 495,388
--- #3. American Airlines: 291,121
This story features data reporting by Rob Powell, writing by Jaimie Etkin, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 199 metros.
You may also like: Mortgage rates fall to 10‑month low, offering relief for Los Angeles buyers
