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Top 10 Domestic Revenue Routes For Every US Airline

Posted on 14 Comments

an airport with airplanes parked on the ground

Here’s an interesting breakdown, flagged by Jon NYC, of the top 10 domestic routes for every US carrier in terms of revenue. Let’s take a look at the numbers, then I’ll offer some thoughts.

Top 10 US Domestic Routes By Revenue (Q2 2024 – Q1 2025): A Breakdown Of Each Carrier

Visual Approach Analytics recently published the list, explaining, “We’re looking at passengers originating and destined on this market route, regardless of whether they are nonstop or connecting. Ticket revenues only, so take your best guess as to the ancillary or loyalty bump-up.”

Alaska Airlines

  1. Phoenix (PHX) ⇄ Seattle (SEA) – $98M
  2. San Diego (SAN) ⇄ Seattle (SEA) – $98M
  3. Los Angeles (LAX) ⇄ Seattle (SEA) – $94M
  4. New York (JFK) ⇄ San Francisco (SFO) – $94M
  5. Seattle (SEA) ⇄ Santa Ana (SNA) – $88M
  6. Seattle (SEA) ⇄ San Francisco (SFO) – $86M
  7. Las Vegas (LAS) ⇄ Seattle (SEA) – $83M
  8. New York (JFK) ⇄ Seattle (SEA) – $77M
  9. Honolulu (HNL) ⇄ Seattle (SEA) – $75M
  10. Anchorage (ANC) ⇄ Seattle (SEA) – $71M

Allegiant Air

  1. Allentown (ABE) ⇄ Orlando Sanford (SFB) – $10.0M
  2. Phoenix/Mesa (AZA) ⇄ Fargo (FAR) – $9.2M
  3. Las Vegas (LAS) ⇄ McAllen (MFE) – $8.9M
  4. Grand Rapids (GRR) ⇄ Punta Gorda (PGD) – $8.7M
  5. Grand Rapids (GRR) ⇄ Orlando Sanford (SFB) – $8.4M
  6. Phoenix/Mesa (AZA) ⇄ Provo (PVU) – $8.4M
  7. Phoenix/Mesa (AZA) ⇄ Sioux Falls (FSD) – $7.9M
  8. Asheville (AVL) ⇄ Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – $7.9M
  9. Fort Lauderdale (FLL) ⇄ Knoxville (TYS) – $7.8M
  10. Flint (FNT) ⇄ Punta Gorda (PGD) – $7.6M

American Airlines

  1. New York (JFK) ⇄ Los Angeles (LAX) – $220M
  2. Los Angeles (LAX) ⇄ Miami (MIA) – $176M
  3. Los Angeles (LAX) ⇄ Philadelphia (PHL) – $150M
  4. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) ⇄ New York (LGA) – $148M
  5. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) ⇄ Los Angeles (LAX) – $144M
  6. New York (LGA) ⇄ Miami (MIA) – $134M
  7. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) ⇄ Chicago (ORD) – $124M
  8. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) ⇄ Las Vegas (LAS) – $123M
  9. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) ⇄ Philadelphia (PHL) – $122M
  10. Orlando (MCO) ⇄ Philadelphia (PHL) – $116M

Avelo Airlines

  1. New Haven (HVN) ⇄ Orlando (MCO) – $13.0M
  2. Fort Lauderdale (FLL) ⇄ New Haven (HVN) – $9.6M
  3. New Haven (HVN) ⇄ Fort Myers (RSW) – $6.9M
  4. New Haven (HVN) ⇄ West Palm Beach (PBI) – $6.6M
  5. New Haven (HVN) ⇄ Tampa (TPA) – $5.9M
  6. New Haven (HVN) ⇄ San Juan (SJU) – $4.8M
  7. New Haven (HVN) ⇄ Raleigh-Durham (RDU) – $4.7M
  8. Wilmington (ILG) ⇄ Orlando (MCO) – $4.5M
  9. New Haven (HVN) ⇄ Sarasota (SRQ) – $4.3M
  10. New Haven (HVN) ⇄ Myrtle Beach (MYR) – $4.1M

Breeze Airways

  1. Provo (PVU) ⇄ Santa Ana (SNA) – $12.5M
  2. White Plains (HPN) ⇄ Vero Beach (VRB) – $8.3M
  3. Providence (PVD) ⇄ Fort Myers (RSW) – $7.5M
  4. Orlando (MCO) ⇄ Providence (PVD) – $7.5M
  5. Norfolk (ORF) ⇄ Tampa (TPA) – $5.9M
  6. Hartford (BDL) ⇄ Las Vegas (LAS) – $5.8M
  7. Akron/Canton (CAK) ⇄ Orlando (MCO) – $5.2M
  8. Charleston (CHS) ⇄ Providence (PVD) – $4.7M
  9. Hartford (BDL) ⇄ Charleston (CHS) – $4.7M
  10. Richmond (RIC) ⇄ Tampa (TPA) – $4.7M

Delta Air Lines

  1. New York (JFK) ⇄ Los Angeles (LAX) – $449M
  2. New York (JFK) ⇄ San Francisco (SFO) – $252M
  3. Atlanta (ATL) ⇄ Los Angeles (LAX) – $192M
  4. Atlanta (ATL) ⇄ New York (LGA) – $178M
  5. Atlanta (ATL) ⇄ Las Vegas (LAS) – $158M
  6. New York (JFK) ⇄ Las Vegas (LAS) – $136M
  7. Atlanta (ATL) ⇄ Boston (BOS) – $130M
  8. Detroit (DTW) ⇄ Los Angeles (LAX) – $122M
  9. Detroit (DTW) ⇄ Orlando (MCO) – $119M
  10. Atlanta (ATL) ⇄ San Francisco (SFO) – $108M

Frontier Airlines

  1. Orlando (MCO) ⇄ Philadelphia (PHL) – $33M
  2. Philadelphia (PHL) ⇄ San Juan (SJU) – $28M
  3. Orlando (MCO) ⇄ San Juan (SJU) – $24M
  4. Denver (DEN) ⇄ Orlando (MCO) – $20M
  5. Denver (DEN) ⇄ Las Vegas (LAS) – $20M
  6. Cleveland (CLE) ⇄ Orlando (MCO) – $20M
  7. Cleveland (CLE) ⇄ Las Vegas (LAS) – $20M
  8. Philadelphia (PHL) ⇄ Tampa (TPA) – $17M
  9. Washington D.C. (DCA) ⇄ Denver (DEN) – $16M
  10. New York (JFK) ⇄ San Juan (SJU) – $15M

JetBlue Airways

  1. New York (JFK) ⇄ Los Angeles (LAX) – $280M
  2. New York (JFK) ⇄ San Francisco (SFO) – $144M
  3. Boston (BOS) ⇄ Los Angeles (LAX) – $133M
  4. Boston (BOS) ⇄ San Francisco (SFO) – $128M
  5. Fort Lauderdale (FLL) ⇄ Los Angeles (LAX) – $110M
  6. Boston (BOS) ⇄ Orlando (MCO) – $107M
  7. New York (JFK) ⇄ Las Vegas (LAS) – $104M
  8. New York (JFK) ⇄ San Juan (SJU) – $103M
  9. New York (JFK) ⇄ Orlando (MCO) – $93M
  10. Orlando (MCO) ⇄ San Juan (SJU) – $84M

Southwest Airlines

  1. Baltimore (BWI) ⇄ Orlando (MCO) – $90M
  2. Denver (DEN) ⇄ Phoenix (PHX) – $85M
  3. San Diego (SAN) ⇄ Sacramento (SMF) – $83M
  4. Orlando (MCO) ⇄ Chicago Midway (MDW) – $79M
  5. San Diego (SAN) ⇄ San Jose (SJC) – $78M
  6. Chicago Midway (MDW) ⇄ Phoenix (PHX) – $76M
  7. San Jose (SJC) ⇄ Santa Ana (SNA) – $74M
  8. Las Vegas (LAS) ⇄ San Jose (SJC) – $71M
  9. Las Vegas (LAS) ⇄ Chicago Midway (MDW) – $71M
  10. Dallas Love Field (DAL) ⇄ Las Vegas (LAS) – $70M

Spirit Airlines

  1. Newark (EWR) ⇄ Orlando (MCO) – $29M
  2. Fort Lauderdale (FLL) ⇄ Chicago (ORD) – $28M
  3. Newark (EWR) ⇄ Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – $26M
  4. Fort Lauderdale (FLL) ⇄ New York (LGA) – $25M
  5. Detroit (DTW) ⇄ Orlando (MCO) – $24M
  6. Detroit (DTW) ⇄ Los Angeles (LAX) – $24M
  7. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) ⇄ Los Angeles (LAX) – $24M
  8. Atlanta (ATL) ⇄ Los Angeles (LAX) – $23M
  9. Los Angeles (LAX) ⇄ Chicago (ORD) – $23M
  10. Houston (IAH) ⇄ Los Angeles (LAX) – $22M

Sun Country Airlines

  1. Orlando (MCO) ⇄ Minneapolis (MSP) – $35M
  2. Minneapolis (MSP) ⇄ Fort Myers (RSW) – $31M
  3. Los Angeles (LAX) ⇄ Minneapolis (MSP) – $28M
  4. Las Vegas (LAS) ⇄ Minneapolis (MSP) – $28M
  5. Minneapolis (MSP) ⇄ Phoenix (PHX) – $27M
  6. Minneapolis (MSP) ⇄ Tampa (TPA) – $16M
  7. Minneapolis (MSP) ⇄ San Francisco (SFO) – $16M
  8. Minneapolis (MSP) ⇄ Seattle (SEA) – $14M
  9. Minneapolis (MSP) ⇄ San Diego (SAN) – $12M
  10. Boston (BOS) ⇄ Minneapolis (MSP) – $9M

United Airlines

  1. Newark (EWR) ⇄ San Francisco (SFO) – $493M
  2. Newark (EWR) ⇄ Los Angeles (LAX) – $384M
  3. Chicago O’Hare (ORD) ⇄ San Francisco (SFO) – $218M
  4. Washington Dulles (IAD) ⇄ San Francisco (SFO) – $194M
  5. Newark (EWR) ⇄ Las Vegas (LAS) – $192M
  6. Chicago O’Hare (ORD) ⇄ Los Angeles (LAX) – $166M
  7. Newark (EWR) ⇄ Orlando (MCO) – $163M
  8. Washington Dulles (IAD) ⇄ Los Angeles (LAX) – $157M
  9. Newark (EWR) ⇄ Chicago (ORD) – $153M
  10. New York (LGA) ⇄ Chicago (ORD) – $144M

My Thoughts

These are fun figures for av-geeks, though I’m not all that surprised by the figures for American, Delta, and United. The bread-and-butter routes between wealthier cities produce the most revenue…what a surprise! But a handful of thoughts:

  • JetBlue beats American in terms of revenue between LAX and JFK even though both run narrowbody aircraft and AA offers significantly more premium seats
  • I’m less surprised United and Delta dominate the LAX – NYC market since they offer so many seats on their widebody jets than American does on its A321Ts
  • Regardless of whether Florida is classified as a leisure market, it’s a huge revenue generator for all carriers (Orlando is in the top 10 list of every carrier above except Alaska Airlines)
  • It’s no surprise Avelo is pulling out of the West Coast when its top-10 revenue-generating routes are all on the East Coast
  • I’m surprised at Alaska’s top routes: Seattle to Phoenix and San Diego to Seattle?

I do note that revenue does not mean profit and therefore these figures only provide a limited look at route viability.

CONCLUSION

Data above shows the top 1o revenue routes for each carrier between the second quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025. Some of the routes are surprising, most are not, and the bottom line is that the numbers suggest bread and butter routes are called that for a reason…that the hub and spoke model exists for a reason.

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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14 Comments

  1. Malik Reply

    Where did you get the data for DL? The list here seems to be a bit different from Visual Approach Analytics’ website.

  2. Santastico Reply

    I am surprised there are no Delta flights from Minneapolis in this list. In 2024, MSP received around 38MM passengers while DTW received 32MM. Maybe Sun Country is getting a good chunk of revenue for the MCO and LAX routes from Delta?

    • Alert Reply

      Not so surprising when you consider that MCO is not in the top 10 earners for DL .

      Also not surprising that Southwest has 3 earners for Chicago MDW , because of the tasty Chicago hot-dogs and the exciting Cubs .

    • Tim Dunn Reply

      keep in mind that these are the top 10 routes for EACH airline – not a comparison of revenue between hubs. DL has 5 routes in its top 10 in LOCAL REVENUE from ATL and 3 from NYC which just leaves 2 routes in the top 10 for any other hub. DTW-MCO is simply a larger market and DTW-LAX is a longer market than MSP. MSP, IIRC, delivers more domestic revenue than DTW but DTW generates more international revenue.

      It is also worth noting that the range of revenue for the top 10 markets for AA is much tighter than for DL or UA. UA just doesn’t have any real superstars while DL has a very strong blend of coastal hub and interior US hubs.

      and keep in mind that AA and DL generate billions more dollars in domestic revenue than UA. AA and DL simply have many more markets that cumulatively add to more than UA’s dominance of a few markets which are much more competitive.

      • Henry LAX Reply

        Hey Mr Brain dead,

        “UA doesn’t have any real superstars”….

        you mean like the $300M NYC-Chicago market that would rank 2nd in delta’s list, only after JFK-LAX ??

        yeah totally lacking superstars.

        my advice for you – ask GA DOT to revoke your driver license – cuz you’re clearly blind

  3. Exit Row Seat Reply

    Note:
    – the value of each Southwest route does not drop off as quickly as the other carriers. This is due to Southwest having so many other direct routes which add value across the board as opposed to a fortress hub situation.

    – JetBlue has backed into a corner (JFK, BOS, MCO, & LAX) which are O&D locations, not transfer hubs. No mention of LGA. Would like to see any TATL numbers should they become available.

    – Delta is focused on ATL, JFK, & DTW. To its credit, these are both O&D and transfer hubs which allows Delta to generate revenue in all directions. Again, would love to see TALT & TPAC numbers

  4. Christian Reply

    Interesting stuff for sure. Thanks.

  5. Mr. Marcus Reply

    Interesting to see the airports that don’t show up anywhere on the list– Charlotte for example. Houston only barely squeaks in with one route at the 10 spot with Spirit.

  6. Joe D Reply

    Goodness. AA has really dropped the ball on transcons. United, Delta, JetBlue, and Alaska are all showing to be formidable in coastal hubs. Just image if AA had not switched from the large capacity 767-200s to the tiny A321. They should have kept some 767s around made made a 767T for “premium” USA routes….

  7. Adam Birchfield Reply

    I am surprised none of the United routes are from Denver. Extra funny since that’s the article photo.

    • Matthew Klint Reply

      United says Denver is its most profitable hub…but that must be in the aggregate…I’m also surprised no DEN routes made the top-10.

  8. David Read Reply

    @Tim Dunn. We get it you love Delta! We get it! We get it!

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