The US Airports That Have Seen Largest Increase in Passengers

Over the past two years, the United States commercial airline industry has continued to crawl out of the post-pandemic lull in airline passenger traffic, with the vast majority of airports seeing their pre-COVID numbers again for the first time in 2023 alone. Nonetheless, the nature of the commercial airline industry has changed significantly since 2019 with airlines restructuring their business models to serve a new kind of customer.
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Business travelers now operate on different schedules than usual, flying out more on Mondays and back on Thursdays than previously. Furthermore, more and more off-peak-season vacationing has been taking place with airlines looking to capitalize on this new stream of remote worker income.
Photo: Wenjie Zheng | Shutterstock
The airline industry has, as a result, been forced to adapt and change over the past five years to better meet the needs of its customers, something which has created altered route networks with noticeable (albeit minimal) differences from their 2019 status. Therefore, there are many differences to note between individual airport growth rates now and in the period before the pandemic, something which has resulted in some airports recovering from the pandemic faster than others. Let’s take a deeper look at five of the fastest-growing US airports by passenger traffic over the last two years.
1 Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Major carriers at the airport: United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines
2022 passenger numbers (in millions): 2023 passenger numbers (in millions): % increase: 32.3 40.9 26.7%
Of the ten largest airports in the United States, none have seen a larger growth in passenger numbers than Los Angeles International Airport. According to numbers from the Federal Aviation Administration, the facility has seen an impressive increase in passenger traffic of 26.7%, a number nearly twice as large as that of any other top-ten airport.
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Los Angeles International Airport is in a unique position within the market, as it is one of the only airports worldwide to be a hub for three different legacy airlines. All major US full-service network carriers, United, American, and Delta, all operate a hub out of LAX, and the facility serves as the primary West Coast gateway for American Airlines.
Across the board, these legacy airlines have been continuing to expand their offerings in the market, opening new routes over the past two years. The bullish growth and ambitious expansion of these legacy airlines, along with moderate low-cost airline growth, have been key catalysts for LAX’s astronomical growth. In 2023, the airport was America’s second busiest after Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL).
2 Orlando International Airport (MCO)
Major carriers at the airport: JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Breeze Airways
2022 passenger numbers (in millions): 2023 passenger numbers (in millions): % increase: 24.5 28.0 14.6%
The busiest international airport in the state of Florida by passenger numbers, Orlando International has continued to see rapid growth over the past few years. Leisure travel has exploded in the years following the pandemic, something which has come to the benefit of airports like Orlando.
Photo: Wenjie Zheng | Shutterstock
Budget airlines have been behind the growth of airports like Orlando, with new carriers like Breeze Airways opening massive operating bases at the facility. One of the few airports in the top ten to see near 15% year-over-year passenger growth, Orlando is poised to continue being a major hub for leisure travel in the 2020s.
Related Why Does Orlando International Airport Have The IATA Code MCO? Orlando Internation Airport’s IATA code remained MCO in honor of Colonel Michael Norman Wright McCoy.
3 San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Major carriers at the airport: United Airlines
2022 passenger numbers (in millions): 2023 passenger numbers (in millions): % increase: 20.4 24.1 18.5%
Photo: Sundry Photography | Shutterstock
It is difficult to argue that United Airlines has not been one of the most aggressive in pursuing hub and network expansion over the past two years, given the carrier’s clear ambitions to catch up to Delta in terms of profitability and market presence. San Francisco International Airport, which has seen passenger numbers rise by nearly 20% to reach near pre-pandemic levels, has been one of the key beneficiaries of the airline’s expansion. Other United hubs which have seen double-digit rises in passenger traffic include:
Denver International Airport (DEN)
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston
4 Nashville International Airport (BNA)
Major carriers at the airport: Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines
2022 passenger numbers (in millions): 2023 passenger numbers (in millions): % increase: 11.2 9.8 14.2%
Another airport that has seen impressive passenger growth has been Nashville International, which has become one of the airlines’ key weekend destinations for fall travelers. This has pushed both budget and legacy airlines alike to expand their passenger offerings at the facility.
Photo: Nashville International Airport
According to The Tennessean, the airport has continued to hit passenger record numbers this fall, and the facility is set to undergo a major renovation in the coming months. International traffic growth at the facility has also been noteworthy, with new routes like Aer Lingus’ nonstop service to Dublin Airport (DUB) set to be added in the spring of next year.
5 Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)
Major carriers at the airport: Delta Air Lines, American Airlines
2022 passenger numbers (in millions): 2023 passenger numbers (in millions): % increase: 7.1 5.8 21.7%
Photo: Jason Schronce | Shutterstock
One of the only other top 50 airports to experience passenger growth exceeding 20%, both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have been dueling for influence at RDU. This airport has nonstop flights to international destinations like London Heathrow (LHR) and Cancun (CUN), with the carriers continuing to add flights to the facility. Currently, both American and Delta maintain roughly 20% market shares at the airport.