US Domestic Travel Trends for 2025: JFK–LAX Still the Most Popular Route

Published on December 24, 2025

The JFK–LAX route has solidified its position as the most heavily flown domestic U.S. route in 2025, according to new aviation data from OAG. With 3.43 million seats available for passengers between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), this major corridor continues to be a crucial connection between two of the U.S.’s largest metropolitan areas. Despite a 9% increase in available seats from 2024, the route still falls 20% short of its pre‑pandemic levels, reflecting the ongoing challenges the U.S. airline industry faces post‑COVID.

Strong Demand for JFK–LAX, but Seat Capacity Remains Below Pre‑Pandemic Levels

The JFK–LAX route, often seen as the flagship of U.S. domestic travel, remains critical for both leisure and business travellers. With multiple daily flights offering convenience for those seeking connections between the East Coast and West Coast, this corridor serves as a lifeline for travellers needing quick access to both cities. Airlines like American Airlines, Delta, and JetBlue continue to dominate the route, but industry experts note that capacity cuts from American Airlines and JetBlue since the pandemic have kept seat availability lower than 2019 levels.

While seats offered in 2025 have seen a healthy 9% increase over 2024, OAG senior analyst John Grant attributes the slow recovery in capacity to the continuing effects of the pandemic on flight routes and overall corporate travel demand. Even though travel numbers are recovering, corporate travel has not bounced back as quickly as anticipated, with businesses continuing to cut back on cross-country flights.

Impact on Travellers: Convenience and Frequent Flyer Options

For travellers, the JFK–LAX route continues to be an essential part of their itineraries, offering multiple departure times throughout the day. This makes it ideal for both business professionals and leisure travellers, with flight options at virtually any time of day. Additionally, the route remains the most accessible for frequent flyers, with loyalty programmes providing extensive benefits for passengers flying regularly between these two major cities.

With flexible schedules and competitive pricing, airlines compete to offer the best service for this high‑demand route. Though the capacity is still below pre‑pandemic levels, the JFK–LAX route remains highly efficient for those who need to travel between the East and West Coast quickly. For those planning travel from New York to Los Angeles, this is often the preferred route, especially considering the direct connections it offers to international flights via LAX’s extensive network.

Other Leading Domestic U.S. Routes in 2025

Following JFK–LAX, several other major U.S. domestic routes continue to serve as key connections for both business and leisure travellers in 2025. The LGA–ORD (LaGuardia to Chicago O’Hare) route ranks second, offering 3.33 million seats in 2025, up 7% from the previous year, though still down 13% from pre‑pandemic levels. Similarly, LAX–SFO (Los Angeles to San Francisco) has 3.31 million seats this year, a 5% increase from 2024 but still 29% below 2019 levels.

These routes highlight inter‑hub travel between major metropolitan areas, connecting New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, key cities that remain heavily reliant on frequent air connections for both business and leisure purposes.

Airlines Adjust Capacity and Demand Management for 2025

OAG’s data points out that American Airlines, Delta, and JetBlue have made strategic decisions to manage airline capacity, making some cuts to better match fluctuating demand. In fact, the LAX–SFO route, which used to be one of the busiest domestic routes, has seen a reduction in seat availability due to capacity management by Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and American Airlines, which each scaled back service by more than 40% in recent years.

Airlines are prioritising more efficient use of aircraft and higher yield markets, making strategic decisions to ensure routes like JFK–LAX can be filled, while cutting back on routes with lower demand or less corporate traffic.

Continuing Demand for JFK–LAX and U.S. Domestic Travel

As the JFK–LAX route remains the top domestic U.S. flight in 2025, it serves as a reminder of the ongoing importance of major East–West connections in the U.S. air travel system. Even as seat capacity and flight frequencies remain below pre‑pandemic levels, the demand for these routes continues to be strong, especially as business travel slowly recovers.

For travellers, this means that flexibility, competition for fares, and frequent flyer perks will continue to play an important role in shaping the future of domestic travel. As airlines continue to fine‑tune their capacity and demand strategies, routes like JFK–LAX will remain crucial to business travellers and those seeking convenient connections across the U.S.