The Busiest Domestic Flight Route In North America Of 2025 Wasn't In The US

There are plenty of efficient and traveler-friendly airports in the United States. For example, you have travel hubs such as Dallas, Atlanta, and Chicago — which also happen to be home to airports with the most non-stop flights. However, busy as they might be, it turns out the busiest North American domestic flight route of 2025 wasn't in any of these cities — nor was it even within the United States at all. Instead, Canada took the crown. 

According to a report by OAG Aviation titled The Busiest Flight Routes of 2025 — which compiled information based on the most popular airline routes in both directions and seat capacity from January 2025 to December 2025 — the domestic route from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) reported a staggering 3.65 million scheduled seats. This outshined America's No. 1 domestic route, which runs from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and reported 3.4 million seats flown.

That said, Canada's most popular domestic route isn't busy solely because both British Columbia and Ontario are home to some the best destinations to snap beautiful photographs in Canada. In fact, in 2024, the same route also topped the list as the busiest domestic flight in North America, with nearly 3.5 million scheduled seats — beating the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to Orlando International Airport (MCO) route, which racked up 3.4 million scheduled seats. This makes 2025 the second year in a row that the transcontinental Canadian flight route has reigned supreme for travelers, further solidifying its dominance within the aviation sector.

The busy Vancouver-to-Toronto route continues to outpace its neighbors to the south, despite competitors from major U.S. aviation hubs across the industry. So, how can a domestic route with a much smaller population be that much busier? Simply put, there are three major reasons that this flight route continues to outperform some of the most bustling routes in the United States year after year.

If you've ever flown within Canada, chances are you've passed through Vancouver or Toronto at some point, as these airports serve as major travel corridors within the country. With tourism, business, government, and financial sectors all playing key roles in both cities, the demand for the route remains high. Additionally, the U.S. aviation market includes a significant number of airports stretching from the East Coast to the West Coast. In contrast, transcontinental flight routes in Canada are more centralized, with routes to either side of the country most often departing from Vancouver or Toronto. Airlines such as Porter Airlines, Air Canada, and WestJet have all increased flights along the transcontinental route in response.

That said, although the Canadian route is the busiest in North America, globally speaking, Asian markets lead the pack due to much larger populations and more frequent flights. The route from Jeju International Airport (CJU) to Seoul Gimpo Airport (GMP), with 14.4 million scheduled seats flown, and the route from New Chitose Airport (CTS) to Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND), with 12.1 million scheduled seats flown, come out on top as the busiest flight routes in the world.