Ski season is just around the corner, and the Ikon Pass is making it even easier to ski across the country by adding a new California mountain to the mix.
19.08.2024 - 13:34 / skift.com / Paris Olympics / Sean Donohue / Marjan Rintel / Gordon Smith
It’s official. Global air traffic has not only reached pre-pandemic levels but is now tracking above 2019 figures. With more passengers flying, many airlines have restored their international route network to full strength.
Relative stabilization after almost four years of Covid-related fluctuations offers the chance to find out which airports are the best connected in this new era.
Fresh data from aviation analytics firm Cirium examines the number of unique nonstop destinations served from each airport in the first six months of 2024 – and there are a few surprises. For example, Denver International Airport soars above many larger world cities.
Of the global top 20, half are in Europe, the United States and China each have four airports, and two are in the Middle East. But where came out on top?
Istanbul is in first place with 309 nonstop destinations. The mega-hub is helped into pole position by Turkish Airlines, which uses the airport as its base. The company flies to more countries than any other, with 130 served as of June 2024. However, you won’t find any premium economy seats on the national carrier, as Skift discussed with the Turkish Airlines chairman last month.
The city’s east-meets-west location also makes it a popular destination for other operators beyond the Turkish Airlines network.
A trio of European hubs make up second, third, and fourth place in the ranking. The German financial hub of Frankfurt is number two globally, with 296 destinations. It’s also one of two major bases for Lufthansa. Frankfurt is followed by Paris Charles de Gaulle (282) and Amsterdam Schiphol with 270.
As well as a wide-reaching interview with KLM CEO Marjan Rintel, Skift also recently met Ben Smith, CEO of the Air France-KLM Group. We covered everything from the Paris Olympics to the battle for sustainability.
The first U.S. airport on the list is Chicago O’Hare. It is tied for fourth place with Amsterdam at 270 nonstop destinations. Dubai misses out on a three-way tie for the fourth spot, with 269 destinations.
Its hometown airlines Emirates and flydubai do much of the heavy lifting, but the city’s international appeal sees dozens of other carriers serve the airport. Skift will be back in Dubai in November for the 2024 edition of Skift Global Forum East.
Another U.S. airport is at number seven on the Cirium chart. Dallas-Fort Worth had 261 nonstop destinations in the first half of the year. The sprawling site is home to American Airlines, with multiple other carriers in the oneworld alliance also using the facility as an entry point to plug into onward connections.
The Skift Aviation Forum will be held in Dallas on November 12, with Sean Donohue, CEO of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Robert
Ski season is just around the corner, and the Ikon Pass is making it even easier to ski across the country by adding a new California mountain to the mix.
Travelers to several major cities in the U.S., including Honolulu, Boston and San Francisco, should be prepared for possible disruptions to hotel stays as thousands of hotel workers prepare for potential strikes.
Skift Global Forum kicks off on September 17th with an opening reception at The Glasshouse (660 12th Ave at 48th Street) in New York City, running from 6-9 pm ET. This special evening will include insightful fireside chats with top executives from the travel industry, followed by an exciting reception.
Hundreds of charter and personal planes touched down on the same tarmac this weekend — and it wasn't in the Hamptons, Lake Tahoe, or any other particularly bougie hot spot. It was a pop-up airport called 88NV in the middle of the Nevada desert.
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This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ray Zahab, a 55-year-old Canadian explorer and ultra-distance runner who has traversed nearly 12,400 miles across Earth's most extreme environments, from the Arctic to the Sahara. It's been edited for length and clarity.
Galapagos cruises are the best way to experience the collection of remote, mostly uninhabited islands about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. But cruises to the Galapagos Islands aren’t like cruises anywhere else. The ships here are smaller, with some carrying as few as 16 passengers. There are no water slides, elaborate Broadway shows, casinos, or wild nightclubs. And don’t expect big bus tours in port either.
Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian are one step closer to gaining final approval for their proposed merger. Following two last-minute extensions in recent days, the review period for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to complete its regulatory investigation has ended.
Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, August 20, 2024, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.