With the vaccination rollout well-underway, more U.S. consumers are beginning to solidify their summer travel plans, including purchasing airline tickets. Flight cancellations over concern for the coronavirus pandemic impacted the airline industry significantly in 2020. Initially, we found that more consumers were opting to travel via car rather than take an airplane or other public transportation due to social distancing concerns. However, consumers are starting to return to airports. The TSA recently reported a surge (the biggest since March 13, 2020) in consumers flying to travel destinations during spring break 2021.

To understand which airports have been the busiest during the past 90 days, we analyzed consumer foot traffic at major ones across the U.S. Keep in mind that our foot traffic data is a sample of all airport foot traffic and will not reflect all reported airport traffic data.

Based on our foot traffic data, here is our list of the top 5 busiest airports in the U.S.

1. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

2. Orlando International Airport

3. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

4. Denver International Airport

5. Tampa International Airport:

Runners-up on our list include:

6. McCarran International Airport

7. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

8. Miami International Airport

9. Charlotte Douglas International

10. George Bush International Airport

11. Chicago O’Hare International Airport

What do all these airports have in common? They are all hubs for travelers connecting to other airports in the U.S. or flying out to another country.

Consumer travel trends have changed significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a recent report on travel trends by American Express, consumers are willing to spend more money, are interested in traveling for longer periods of time, and want more flexible booking options. How can airports better understand what travelers are interested in? Location intelligence is an excellent data solution for airports looking to keep up with consume

Here are some ways these international airports can use location intelligence:r travel trends. 

• Determine which restaurants should be available in the airport based on consumer preferences.
• Discover which brands consumers frequently visit the most outside of the airport and provide brands with ad space within the terminals.
• Analyze foot traffic data to determine the busiest times of day and coordinate staffing plans accordingly.
• Understand where consumers are traveling from to reach the airport and advertise airport amenities in these regions.
• Partner with brands to provide consumers with special pre-flight amenities, such as access to a VIP waiting lounge.

Contact one of our experts to learn how the airline industry can use location intelligence to understand consumer travel trends.