St. Pete-Clearwater International Is Most Crowded Airport — Find Out Where Yours Ranks

Written by  Julie Ryan Evans

Edited by  Dan Shepard

+ 1 More

Updated Sep 09, 2024 Content was accurate at the time of publication.

After the COVID-19 pandemic grounded planes worldwide in 2020, some travelers were eager to make up for lost time. The data shows they did just that.

The latest LendingTree study found that 81.0% of available seats on domestic and international flights leaving the U.S. were occupied in 2023, returning to prepandemic levels after tumbling to 57.1% in 2020.

Read on for more, including which big U.S. airports are the most and least crowded and how your credit card could be your saving grace when navigating travel turbulence.

Flight occupancy recovers from pandemic levels

Be prepared to share your armrest again.

Flights are again as full as they were before the pandemic. In 2019, 82.4% of available seats on domestic and international flights leaving U.S. airports were occupied. In 2020 (the first year of the pandemic), that rate dipped to 57.1%. As the pandemic waned, travelers returned to the skies, with flight occupancy soaring to 81.0% in 2023.

Travelers may pay the price for this resurgence of air travel in more ways than one, according to Matt Schulz, LendingTree chief consumer finance analyst.

“More people flying may mean people will need to pay more for their next flight, and that airports may be a little more chaotic,” he says. “Airports can be messy, challenging and exhausting even during slow travel times, but more people taking to the skies can make them more so.”

Airline seat availability and occupancy, 2013-2023

Will that busy air travel trend continue? Perhaps.

In the first four months of 2024, flight occupancy hovered slightly below the 2023 level, at 79.5%. That was before the busy summer travel months, but Schulz — author of “Ask Questions, Save Money, Make More: How to Take Control of Your Financial Life” — says it’s possible a slowdown could be brewing along with rising unemployment.

“While joblessness is still low by historical standards, the unemployment rate is slowly ticking up,” he says. “And if people are nervous about the safety of their job, they’re probably less likely to drop cash on a plane ticket for a vacation or a trip to see family.”

If airports feel even more crowded than you remember before the pandemic, you’re not imagining it. Air travel is, in fact, busier than it was before the pandemic.

In 2019, 936.4 million people boarded planes in the U.S., while 951.9 million did in 2023. That’s 15.5 million more people flying the friendly (or not-so-friendly, depending on who you ask) skies. There were also 38.6 million more seats available in 2023 than in 2019, indicating travelers have more flight options.

“A lot of airlines and airports struggled as life fully opened again after the pandemic, especially when it related to staffing,” Schulz says. “That likely limited how many passengers they could handle, forcing the airlines to possibly hold back on the number of flights available. As they’ve slowly gotten their feet under them again in recent years, it makes sense that more and more seats would become available, especially given the growth in demand. I think it’s reasonable to expect that we may continue to see the numbers tick up slightly going forward.”

Clearwater, Fla., has most crowded airport

Where will you feel the squeeze the most? With an occupancy rate on departing flights of 87.0%, St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport took the top spot in 2023 as the most crowded airport among the 100 with the most seats available that year. It nosed out Orlando Sanford International Airport (86.0%) and Tucson International Airport (85.9%).

5 most crowded airports (2023)

The rankings have shifted since we last studied the topic. In 2018, Denver International Airport was the most crowded, followed by Orlando International Airport (the aforementioned Orlando Sanford International is a different airport) and Colorado Springs Airport. St. Pete-Clearwater International ranked fifth.

Schulz warns that travelers in the biggest airports should fully expect that things won’t go perfectly. You may encounter everything from long security lines to delayed flights, parking scarcity and lost baggage. He says the best move is to anticipate some of these issues and take steps to prepare for them — or boost your chances of avoiding them.

“Get to the airport a little earlier than you may think is necessary,” he says. “Take the first flight of the day, even though the early wake-up stinks. Pack some toiletries and a change of underwear in a carry-on in case your bags get lost. Little moves like this can make things easier when adversity comes your way.”

As for why some airports are busier than others, it’s likely due to the routes offered and the prices passengers pay for those routes. For example, when St. Pete-Clearwater International touted 2023 as its busiest year ever for passengers, it credited nonstop routes and low-cost fares from Allegiant.

Hawaii, California airports are least crowded

Looking for extra elbow room?

You’re most likely to find it when flying out of some Hawaii and California airports. Kahului Airport ranked as the least crowded airport in 2023, with a 70.6% flight occupancy. It was followed by Hollywood Burbank Airport (71.8%), then two more Hawaii airports — Lihue Airport (73.5%) and Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole (73.7%). San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport took the final bottom-five spot (74.0%).

5 least crowded airports (2023)

These rankings also shifted since our last study, though Ellison Onizuka Kona International at Keahole (second-least crowded in 2018) and Hollywood Burbank Airport (fourth-least crowded in 2018) remained among the bottom five. The least crowded airport in 2018 was Dayton International Airport in Ohio. However, due to 2023 seat availability, it wasn’t considered in our new study. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska was the third-least crowded airport in 2018, and Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wis., was the fifth-least crowded.

Limited routes and higher fares are likely why these airports are less crowded. It could also be due to the airlines that service various airports, as some are busier than others.

Full rankings: Most/least crowded airports (2023)

Protecting your trip from airport woes: Top expert tips

Crowded airports often come with travel headaches like delays, cancellations and missed connections. Fortunately, some travel credit cards can help protect you from them, or at least make enduring the bumps a little easier on your patience and pocketbook.

Methodology

Using U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Air Carrier Statistics, LendingTree researchers analyzed available seats and passenger data to calculate occupancy rates.

Specifically, researchers compared the number of available seats on carriers’ departing flights (both domestic and international) to the total number of passengers in those seats to create the rate. We did this nationally from 2013 through 2023, as well as through April in 2024.

Using 2023 data, we also ranked the 100 airports with the most available seats by their occupancy rates.