Daily and hourly airport traffic is crucial for businesses related to airports, including airport authorities, airlines, retailers, ground handlers, rental car companies, and hotels. If you belong to any of these industries, utilizing daily airport traffic data can help you plan your operations, schedule your resources, forecast revenue, and plan budgets more accurately. Additionally, this data can help you target your marketing and promotional efforts more specifically, leading to more effective business strategies.
FlightBI collects and normalizes the airport passenger throughput data from US Transportation Security Administration (TSA). In addition, it has developed a product called Fligence TSA, which features a wide variety of data visualizations. FlightBI is currently offering a one-week, no-obligation trial of Fligence TSA for you to explore valuable insights from the airport traffic data.
This article summarizes US air traffic using the aforementioned tool, utilizing actual airport-level data as of Jan 31, 2026. Our analysis will examine trends in different segments of air travel, such as domestic versus international flights and leisure versus business travel. To learn more about the specific airports chosen to represent these markets, please refer to this article.
U.S. Airport Traffic Overview
As shown in Figure 1, U.S. airport traffic experienced a sharp decline in January 2026. A major winter storm impacted more than half of the country, triggering widespread flight cancellations and driving passenger volumes down to a low of 1.84 million near the end of the month. However, traffic rebounded quickly following the storm, and current forecasts suggest that passenger volumes are expected to remain above 2025 levels over the next three months.
Figure 1: US Overall Air Traffic Trend
Domestic Airport Traffic Indicator
Figure 2 highlights recent travel trends at major domestic hubs, including Charlotte (CLT), Denver (DEN), and Phoenix (PHX). Passenger throughput at these airports generally tracked last year’s patterns; however, the late-January winter storm temporarily pushed 2026 traffic below prior-year levels. Looking ahead, forecasts for the coming months indicate solid growth in domestic travel, with traffic expected to peak during the spring break period.
Figure 2: US Domestic Air Traffic Indicator
International Airport Traffic Indicator
Figure 3 illustrates passenger volume trends at New York’s JFK Airport, a major international gateway. International traffic also declined toward the end of January due to the winter storm. However, the near-term outlook indicates a rapid rebound, with passenger volumes expected to exceed levels observed over the past two years during the next three months.
Figure 3: US International Air Traffic Indicator
Leisure Air Traffic Indicator
Figure 4 provides an overview of U.S. leisure air travel trends. Passenger volumes in January 2026 closely tracked 2025 patterns at leisure-focused airports such as Las Vegas (LAS) and Orlando (MCO). Looking ahead, forecasts suggest that leisure traffic could reach new highs in the coming months, with a seasonal peak expected in March.
Figure 4: US Leisure Air Traffic Indicator
Business Air Traffic Indicator
Figure 5 shows that business travel was also impacted by the winter storm, though passenger volumes remained above 2024 levels in January. More importantly, projections indicate that business travel is expected to grow strongly over the next three months.
Figure 5: US Business Air Traffic Indicator
To summarize, U.S. air traffic dipped sharply in late January 2026 due to a major winter storm but rebounded quickly. Domestic, international, leisure, and business travel are all projected to grow in the coming months, with volumes expected to exceed recent years and peak around the spring break period.