The busiest international routes from the US
The US airports are well connected to the rest of the world – but which international routes are the busiest? Here you can find out more about the top ten routes.
In the list below you find the ten busiest international routes in the US, based on a report made by OAG. The definition of the busiest routes are those with the highest number of scheduled seats.*
1. New York (JFK) - London Heathrow (LHR)
The busiest international route in the US is the connection between New York JFK and London Heathrow. If you want to travel this route there are tons of daily flights to choose from, and a direct flight between the two cities takes about seven hours. Many airlines operate the route, like for example American Airlines, British Airways and Delta Air Lines.
2. New York La Guardia (LGA) - Toronto (YYZ)
Like most major cities in the world, New York has several large airports. One of the busiest routes in North America is the one connecting New York La Guardia with Toronto. This is a fairly short flight, with a flight time around one hour and 45 minutes. If you want to travel between these two cities you will most likely end up on a plane operated by American Airlines, Air Canada, Delta Air Lines or United Airlines.
3. Chicago O’Hare (ORD) - Toronto (YYZ)
Several of the busiest connections in this compilation are routes connecting the US to Canada – and number three is no exception. Here you find the route between Chicago O’Hare and Toronto, which is operated by airlines such as Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. A direct flight between Chicago and Toronto takes about one hour and 40 minutes.
4. Los Angeles (LAX) - Vancouver (YVR)
Number four on the list of the busiest international routes in the US is the one between Los Angeles and Vancouver. This flight normally takes a little less than three hours if you choose a direct connection, and is operated by several of the major airlines in North America.
5. Honolulu (HNL) - Tokyo Narita (NRT)
To find the next busy route we turn to Hawaii and Honolulu. This route connects the US to Japan, with the flight between Honolulu and Tokyo Narita Airport. The flight time for this route is a little more than eight hours if you choose a direct flight. The airlines operating between Honolulu and Tokyo are Hawaiian Airlines, JAL and ANA.
6. London Heathrow (LHR) - Los Angeles (LAX)
The busiest international route in the US is a connection to London, and so is number six on the list. This is a long flight – traveling by direct flight between London Heathrow and Los Angeles takes more than eleven hours. A number of airlines offer flights between the two cities, for example British Airways and American Airlines.
7. Los Angeles (LAX) - Toronto (YYZ)
If you want to travel from Los Angeles to Toronto, there are a lot of flights to choose from. The fastest direct flight on this busy route takes about four hours and 45 minutes, and you can choose to fly with major airlines such as American Airlines, Air Canada and United Airlines.
8. Orlando (MCO) - Toronto (YYZ)
Another busy route in North America is the one between Orlando and Toronto. Like most routes connecting the US to Canada, here you can find flights with for example Air Canada, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. The flight time between the two cities is around two hours and 45 minutes.
9. San Francisco (SFO) - Vancouver (YVR)
For the second to last position on the list, we stay in North America. This busy flight route connects San Francisco to Vancouver, with a flight time of about two hours and 20 minutes. Choose to fly with operators like Air Canada, Alaska Airlines or United Airlines.
10. Paris (CDG) - New York (JFK)
If you are traveling between Paris and New York, you can be sure that you are not the only one. This is one of the busiest international routes in the US, and the route is operated by airlines like Air France, Delta Air Lines and Lufthansa. A direct flight between Paris and New York takes around eight hours and 20 minutes.
*The report was established in 2020 and is based on data from 2019.
