LONDON, UK: February 14, 2020: Cirium, travel data and analytics expert, report that nearly 99,000 flights are set to take to the skies globally on February 14 – could it be that love is in the air this Valentine’s Day?
A total of 98,700 flights globally are scheduled to carry up to approximately 11 million people on one of the most romantic days of the year.
Cirium data shows American carriers are at the heart of global travel plans on February 14. Four of the top five most popular carriers for flights that day are US-based.
American Airlines is set to be the busiest carrier, operating more than 6,600 departing flights during the day and carrying an estimated over 590,000 passengers.
Meanwhile Delta Air Lines, which was named the most punctual airline in North America for 2019 in Cirium’s On Time Performance report, is close behind as the second favorite choice. It is scheduled to operate over 5,600 departing flights, projected to carry more than 550,000 passengers.
In third place, United Airlines will operate more than 5,000 departing flights, carrying more than an approximate 430,000 passengers. Low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines is the fourth busiest airline, operating over 3,700 scheduled services carrying around 450,000 passengers.
Irish budget carrier Ryanair is the only non-US airline to feature in the top five, with more than 2,100 scheduled departures set to carry approximately 330,000 passengers on short-haul services across Europe.
Alistair Rivers, Director of Market Development, Airlines and Airports at Cirium said, “Whether traveling to see loved ones or traveling with loved ones this Valentine’s Day, what better way to spend the most romantic day of the year than to be up in the air.
“North American airlines and airports dominate the list of busiest carriers and hubs globally this year. Four out of the top five busiest airlines are US carriers, while the top five airports for travelers on February 14 are also exclusively made up of US hubs.”
Chicago O’Hare (ORD) tops the list of busiest airports by number of flights, with more than 100,000 passengers traveling to and from the midwest hub on over 1,230 scheduled services on February 14.
Atlanta (ATL) is the second most popular airport with more than 1,220 flights carrying over 130,000 passengers, while Dallas-Fort Worth is the third busiest hub, with more than 960 flights carrying over 95,000 passengers.
Similarly, Los Angeles (LAX) airport is set to operate 846 flights, carrying more than 100,000 passengers, while Denver (CO) airport will operate 841 flights, carrying over 80,000 to complete an all-American top five.
The top route on Valentine’s Day by number of flights is between Melbourne and Sydney, with a 95 flights each way, carrying a total of over 25,000 passengers approximately. Jeju to and from Seoul in South Korea is the next most popular route, with 93 flighs in each direction, carrying more than an estimated 40,000 passengers in total. And Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi, with a total of 80 flights follows, carrying more than 12,000 passengers, to the bustling Vietnamese capital.
Cirium’s data insights derive from the Cirium Core – the number one aviation and air travel data analytics source.
For media enquiries, please contact: Rachel Humphries at rachel.humphries@cirium.com
Notes to editors
* All estimated passenger numbers are based on an industry average load factor assumption of 80 per cent.
