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 two-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 Feb 3, 2023. 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.
US Overall Airport Traffic Status
US airport traffic has made a strong start in 2024, with overall figures surpassing those of previous years for most of January. While numbers may still fall short of pre-COVID levels observed in a short period in January 2020, the current trend is encouraging. Projections indicate that within the next three months, overall traffic is expected to exceed both pre-COVID figures and those recorded last year.
Figure 1: US Overall Air Traffic Trend
Domestic Airport Traffic Indicator
Figure 2 showcases the trend in U.S. domestic air travel, showing a decrease after New Year’s Day in January—a pattern consistent with typical seasonal fluctuations. Despite this dip, the performance of the U.S. domestic market in January 2024 remains strong. We anticipate that domestic air traffic will achieve a new peak by the end of March 2024.
Figure 2: US Domestic Air Traffic Indicator
International Airport Traffic Indicator
Figure 3 displays the U.S. international air traffic index for January 2024, illustrating that traffic levels are comparable to those observed in 2019 and 2020, and exceed the figures from the previous year. It is anticipated that U.S. international air traffic will continue this trend and exceed pre-COVID historical highs in the upcoming three months.
Figure 3: US International Air Traffic Indicator
Leisure Air Traffic Indicator
Figure 4 indicates a positive outlook for the U.S. leisure air market, despite experiencing its seasonal low in the latter half of January. It is forecasted to rebound and reach its zenith around the Spring Break period in 2024.
Figure 4: US Leisure Air Traffic Indicator
Business Air Traffic Indicator
Figure 5 shows that the business travel segment in January 2024 did not match the strength seen in 2019. However, it is poised for growth. We anticipate that in the next three months, business travel will reach levels unprecedented in recent years.
Figure 5: US Business Air Traffic Indicator
To summarize, the U.S. air market has shown promising trends in the early part of 2024. Domestic air travel, after a typical seasonal dip post-New Year’s Day, is robust and expected to hit new highs by the end of March. International traffic in January mirrors the levels of 2019 and 2020, outperforming last year’s figures, with projections indicating surpassing pre-COVID highs in the next quarter. The leisure travel sector, despite a seasonal trough in late January, is forecasted to reach its peak around Spring Break. Business travel, while not as strong as in 2019, is on the brink of significant growth, expected to achieve unprecedented levels in the upcoming months. Collectively, these trends depict a U.S. air market that is vibrant and on an upward trajectory.