Skift Take
Simply put, the increased traffic is a healthy sign for both inbound and outbound tourism activity in the U.S.
Last year was a record one for international air travel in and out of the United States.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel & Tourism Office, 185.4 million passengers arrived or departed from U.S. airports, a 4% increase over the previous year. Those passengers flew through a few key airports, both domestic and abroad.
Of the foreign airports funneling passengers in and out of the U.S. ten of them were responsible for 40% of all the traffic. London’s Heathrow Airport was the undisputed leader, with over 14 million passengers going to and from the U.S. It’s a good 30% greater than its nearest competitor, Toronto’s Pearson International. Two airports in Mexico — Cancun and Mexico City — saw the greatest increase in traffic in 2013, a good sign for tourism in the country.
Top 10 Foreign Airports:
| Rank | Airport | Passengers (millions) | % Change YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | London Heathrow (LHR) | 14.357 | 2.1% |
| 2. | Toronto (YYZ) | 10.875 | 4.5% |
| 3. | Tokyo Narita (NRT) | 9.597 | -0.1% |
| 4. | Frankfurt (FRT) | 6.695 | 1.9% |
| 5. | Paris/de Gaulle (CDG) | 6.383 | 4.7% |
| 6. | Cancun (CUN) | 6.176 | 7.3% |
| 7. | Mexico City (MEX) | 5.942 | 8.9% |
| 8. | Incheon (ICT) | 5.035 | 5.7% |
| 9. | Amsterdam (AMS) | 4.601 | 5.1% |
| 10. | Vancouver (YVR) | 4.440 | 0.4% |
Source: The National Travel & Tourism Office
Among U.S. airports, the top ten respresented a dominant share of the international traffic. From New York’s JFK, to Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, 129.9 million Passengers or 70% of the total air traffic, flowed through the leaders. Dallas, Chicago’s O’Hare, and JFK saw the greatest increase in traffic, while New York-Newark remained relatively flat.
Top 10 U.S. Airports:
| Rank | Airport | Passengers (millions) | % Change YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | New York (JFK) | 26.662 | 5.4% |
| 2. | Miami (MIA) | 20.118 | 4.7% |
| 3. | Los Angeles (LAX) | 17.753 | 3.7% |
| 4. | Newark (EWR) | 11.587 | 1.1% |
| 5. | Chicago (ORD) | 11.183 | 5.1% |
| 6. | Atlanta (ATL) | 10.228 | 4.0% |
| 7. | San Francisco (SFO) | 9.698 | 3.7% |
| 8. | Houston (IAH) | 9.030 | 3.5% |
| 9. | Washington Dulles (IAD) | 6.931 | 4.2% |
| 10. | Dallas-Ft Worth (DFW) | 6.686 | 11.3% |
Source: The National Travel & Tourism Office
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Tags: atl, dallas, dfw, ewr, fra, heathrow, iad, jfk, lax, lhr, mexico, mia, nrt, ord, tokyo, tourism
Photo credit: Dallas-Fort Worth Airport saw the greatest increase in international travel of any U.S. airport. Joyce Marshall / Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT