While passenger volume in the United States is dominated by one major airport—Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) with over 45 million enplanements, other prominent commercial air hubs are roaring back from the COVID-19 pandemic.
For our list of the top three air hubs on the West Coast, we’ll refer to data from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Air Carrier Activity Information System (ACAIS) containing revenue passenger boarding data. These rankings are based on the number of revenue-generating enplaned passengers in 2022.
1 Los Angeles International ( LAX
With over 32.3 million passenger enplanements, LAX experienced a 36.6% % increase over 2021 levels. The airport is a hub for legacy airlines in the United States, including Alaska, American, Delta, and United. In 2022, LAX fell behind Chicago O’Hare (ORD) by just 800,000 enplanements, but LAX surpassed Chicago O’Hare by about 312,000 passengers in 2021.
In the few years immediately preceding the onset of the pandemic, LAX was consistently seeing higher passenger enplanements than its Chicago counterpart.
Photo: Los Angeles World Airports
A spokesperson for LAX told the LA Times that recovery in international traffic over the latter half of 2022 contributed to the boost in passenger volume. The number of international travelers through LAX more than doubled from 6.9 million in 2021 to 14.9 million through November 2022. Additionally, total flights increased by about 11.5% to 511,000.
2 Seattle-Tacoma International ( SEA
Sea-Tac saw over 22 million passenger enplanements last year, an increase of about 27% from 2021. This airport serving the greater Seattle metropolitan region is a hub for Alaska Airlines, which accounts for close to 48% of the airport’s market share, and Delta Air Lines. Sea-Tac falls just behind Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in North Carolina by about 942,000 passengers.
However, the two airports were very close in the few years before the pandemic, with Sea-Tac nudging just ahead of Charlotte.
Photo: Port of Seattle
Two recently completed expansion projects have enhanced the airport’s capacity. The North Satellite Modernization project was finished in 2021 and added eight new gates to Sea-Tac’s N Concourse. The airport’s new International Arrivals Facility has also opened despite construction cost issues and project delays. Sea-Tac’s new international arrivals area boasts double the processing capacity of the old facility.
3 San Francisco ( SFO
This airport saw a significant jump in passenger enplanements with over 20.4 million passengers, an increase of 74% over 2021. It lands just behind Newark Liberty International (EWR) by about 1.1 million passengers. Both Alaska and United Airlines have hubs in San Francisco. Before 2020, San Francisco saw about 4 to 5 million more passenger enplanements than Newark.
Photo: San Francisco International Airport
A spokesperson for SFO shared with the San Francisco Chronicle that a surge in summer travel last year that reached about 75% of pre-pandemic levels accounted for much of the boon in passenger volume. The San Francisco Travel Association published statistics stating that 2022 visitor arrivals grew by 29% to 21.9 million, including a 211% increase in international visitation.
Want answers to more key questions in aviation? Check out the rest of our guides here!
Lastly, SFO recently added Flair Airlines, Air Transat, and Condor international carriers. Domestic carrier Breeze Airways is also now operating out of San Francisco.
Sources: Federal Aviation Administration, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Travel Association
Top 3: The Largest US West Coast Air Hubs By Passenger Numbers
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