This year’s holiday travel is anticipated to be impacted by the recent government closure and erratic weather. The Airports With the Biggest Traffic Surge During the Holiday Season from Luxury Link highlights which airports and states may have the sharpest increases—or decreases—in passenger traffic based on travel patterns from 2024.
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport Holiday Traffic
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) experienced an average of 6,474 passengers per day during the 2024 holiday season, which is defined as the Friday before Thanksgiving through the Monday after and the Friday before Christmas through January 2.
In contrast, during non-holiday times, the airport handled 7,116 passengers every day, a 9% decrease. Notably, only 21 of the nation’s 75 small hub airports saw declines in holiday traffic.
| Airport | Type | Change In Holiday Traffic | Avg. Daily Holiday Passengers | Avg. Daily Non-Holiday Passengers | Thanksgiving Avg. | Winter Holidays Avg. |
| SDF | Small Hub | -9.0% | 6,474 | 7,116 | 6,602 | 6,392 |
| All U.S. Airports | – | +5.4% | 2,591,338 | 2,459,109 | 2,590,353 | 2,592,113 |
National Holiday Travel Trends
Across the U.S., holiday air travel continues to rebound and even exceed pre-pandemic levels. TSA data shows that average daily holiday passengers rose from roughly 2.4 million in 2019 to nearly 2.6 million in 2024, with non-holiday traffic also increasing year-over-year.
- Smaller airports saw the biggest spikes. In 2024:
- Large hubs: +4.6%
- Medium hubs: +5.7%
- Small hubs: +6.5%
- Nonhub primary airports: +8.2%
- Nonhub nonprimary airports: +20.1%
Traffic at smaller airports tends to fluctuate more dramatically year-to-year, even if total passenger numbers remain lower.
This article appears in Nov. 1-30, 2025.