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 April 6, 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
In 2024, US airport traffic maintained a robust pace, consistently surpassing previous years’ passenger numbers by 7-10% each day throughout March. By the end of the month, air traffic in the US had surged to its highest levels in five years. Furthermore, forecasts indicate the growth will sustain during the next quarter.
Figure 1: US Overall Air Traffic Trend
Domestic Airport Traffic Indicator
Figure 2 depicts the upward trajectory of U.S. domestic air travel, showcasing a consistent increase in March following February’s recovery—a trend that aligns with typical seasonal variations. Considering March’s strong performance, we anticipate that domestic air traffic will continue to surpass previous years’ records in the upcoming quarter.
Figure 2: US Domestic Air Traffic Indicator
International Airport Traffic Indicator
Figure 3 displays the U.S. international air traffic index for March 2024, indicating notable improvements that exceeded pre-COVID levels in the latter half of the month. It is anticipated that this upward trend in U.S. international air traffic will persist over the next three months.
Figure 3: US International Air Traffic Indicator
Leisure Air Traffic Indicator
Figure 4 showcases the current state of the U.S. leisure air travel market. In March 2024, the traffic curve consistently surpasses that of 2023, indicating a positive trend. However, projections suggest that future traffic levels may closely resemble those seen last year.
Figure 4: US Leisure Air Traffic Indicator
Business Air Traffic Indicator
Figure 5 depicts the strengthening of business travel in March 2024, signaling potential for continued growth. Projections indicate that within the next three months, business travel will reach levels not witnessed in recent years.
Figure 5: US Business Air Traffic Indicator
In March 2024, the US air travel market experienced a notable resurgence across various sectors. Domestic air travel exhibited a consistent upward trend, exceeding pre-pandemic levels and poised for continued growth. International air travel also showed significant improvement, surpassing pre-COVID levels in the latter part of the month and expected to maintain this trajectory. Leisure air travel saw a positive shift compared to the previous year, although future levels may plateau near 2023 figures. Business travel, on the other hand, showed strong recovery and is projected to reach new heights in the coming months. Overall, the US air travel market in 2024 demonstrated resilience and a promising path toward recovery and expansion.