Most common domestic destinations from Blue Grass Airport

Air travel looks very different now than it did just a few years ago when the coronavirus pandemic grounded folks around the world, putting a halt to travel for both leisure and business.

In 2020, passenger traffic on U.S. airlines was at its lowest since the mid-1980s, with just 369 million passengers. In 2021, the U.S. started to get back to more normal air travel levels, and by 2022, the country was up to 853 million airline passengers. By the looks of it, 2023 is likely to outpace those numbers and return to pre-pandemic levels—nearly 3 million people flew in and out of U.S. airports daily as of April 2023, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Organization.

When you’re at the airport, shuffling around with your roller bag, backpack, neck pillow, and water bottle among the thousands of other passengers doing the same, you’re probably not too concerned with more than your flight. Is it on time? Who will be sitting next to you? Did your checked bag make it onto the plane?

But when you’re not in flight mode, you may be wondering where all of the other folks at your local airport are traveling to. To answer that question, Stacker compiled a list of the most common domestic flights from Blue Grass using data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Destinations are ranked by total passengers from October 2022 to September 2023.

Read on to find out if your flight patterns are similar to your fellow Blue Grass travelers.

StacieStauffSmith Photos // Shutterstock

#13. Myrtle Beach International (Myrtle Beach, SC)

– Passengers: 3,078 (0.5% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Allegiant Air: 3,078

Songquan Deng // Shutterstock

#12. Orlando International (Orlando, FL)

– Passengers: 4,401 (0.7% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. TEM Enterprises dba Avelo Airlines: 4,401

Orhan Cam // Shutterstock

#11. Ronald Reagan Washington National (Washington, DC)

– Passengers: 10,207 (1.6% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Republic Airline: 9,772
— #2. American Airlines: 435

Andrew J Simcox // Shutterstock

#10. Philadelphia International (Philadelphia, PA)

– Passengers: 15,043 (2.4% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Piedmont Airlines: 10,330
— #2. Air Wisconsin Airlines Corp: 3,776
— #3. PSA Airlines: 937

mariakray // Shutterstock

#9. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

– Passengers: 18,581 (2.9% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Allegiant Air: 18,581

Khairil Azhar Junos // Shutterstock

#8. Punta Gorda Airport (Punta Gorda, FL)

– Passengers: 20,782 (3.3% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Allegiant Air: 20,782

Canva

#7. St Pete Clearwater International (St. Petersburg, FL)

– Passengers: 25,935 (4.1% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Allegiant Air: 25,935

Brittx // Shutterstock

#6. Orlando Sanford International (Sanford, FL)

– Passengers: 29,890 (4.7% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Allegiant Air: 29,890

Vladimir Mucibabic // Shutterstock

#5. Detroit Metro Wayne County (Detroit, MI)

– Passengers: 41,861 (6.6% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Endeavor Air: 25,811
— #2. Republic Airline: 10,423
— #3. SkyWest Airlines: 5,627

Canva

#4. Dallas/Fort Worth International (Dallas/Fort Worth, TX)

– Passengers: 72,390 (11.4% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. American Airlines: 40,678
— #2. Envoy Air: 31,712

marchello74 // Shutterstock

#3. Chicago O’Hare International (Chicago, IL)

– Passengers: 86,216 (13.6% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. SkyWest Airlines: 44,123
— #2. Envoy Air: 18,777
— #3. Air Wisconsin Airlines Corp: 12,493

Canva

#2. Charlotte Douglas International (Charlotte, NC)

– Passengers: 99,815 (15.8% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. PSA Airlines: 89,905
— #2. Piedmont Airlines: 7,620
— #3. Envoy Air: 2,171

Canva

#1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (Atlanta, GA)

– Passengers: 191,310 (30.2% of all passengers)
– Top carriers:
— #1. Delta Air Lines: 176,448
— #2. Endeavor Air: 11,427
— #3. Republic Airline: 3,386

This story features data reporting by Rob Powell, writing by Jaimie Etkin, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 199 metros.