# What's the biggest non-international airport in the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 9, 2004, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730 "2004-01-09T22:09:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730/21 "2004-01-10T17:30:29Z")
[Dallas Love Field](http://www.dallas-lovefield.com/index.html) served 5.6 million passengers in 2002. They imply that the number may be 7 million now. Served by Southwest Airlines, Continental Express and Delta Connection ASA to 17 U.S. cities. Customs service only available on an on-call basis. ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730/22 "2004-01-10T17:31:44Z")
BTW, I’m not saying that Love Field is the busiest non-international airport. Just adding a data point. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730/23 "2004-01-10T18:55:50Z")
If Love Field isn’t the winner it’s certainly in the running. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730/24 "2004-01-10T20:51:20Z")
Most flights from Canada are pre-cleared, meaning there US customs and Immigration officers there and they clear the flight to land anywhere. When you land, you land at a domestic terminal and you can obviously take off from anywhere. So flights to and from Canada really don’t count. My first guess would have been Laguardia, but maybe they do have real international flights, although I have never heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730/25 "2004-01-10T22:28:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Interrobang!? \* > \*\*Good point. Revising my own OP: > > **Which US airport is the busiest – the most passengers traveling through daily – that doesn’t have any regularly scheduled direct international flights (incoming or outgoing)?** > > (Do we actually have an answer yet? Or just some good theories?) \*\* I would go with what **panamajack** said - Van Nuys must be your winner in that category. It has no regularly scheduled flights at all, and it is the 7th most busy airport in the world. More aircraft go in and out of there than Heathrow. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730/26 "2004-01-11T21:40:35Z")
I’ll try to get the cites back but I read that Hobby in Houston was busier than Love field. (see dept. of transportation) They have numerous stats. sheets pertaining to US airports. My modem hung up while I was onsite. I’ll get back to it ASAP. > [@](#): > > Refering to the OP, here in Regina, our Airport (Regina International Airport) handles flights throughout Canada, and to major American centres such as St. Paul, MN. major? 😃 Sorry **xayoz306** I just couldn’t help myself. Also, aren’t La Guardia’s runways supposedly too short for takeoff of fully fueled large aircraft (intercontinental)? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730/27 "2004-01-12T11:28:25Z")
Depends on the airplane, to some extent, but La Guardia’s runways are listed as 7000 feet in the airport directory. Doesn’t sound terribly long for a jumbo jet to me. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730/28 "2004-01-12T12:48:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Broomstick \* > \*\*Depends on the airplane, to some extent, but La Guardia’s runways are listed as 7000 feet in the airport directory. Doesn’t sound terribly long for a jumbo jet to me. \*\* The runway at Leeds Bradford Airport in the UK is listed as 7381 feet, and I know that both 747s and Concorde have been there in the past. [http://www.world-airport-codes.com/united-kingdom/leeds/bradford-4041.html](http://www.world-airport-codes.com/united-kingdom/leeds/bradford-4041.html) ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730/29 "2004-01-12T13:12:25Z")
Also, not all international or intercontinental flights are on jumbos. The 767, for instance, is approved for transatlantic routes (with some caveats), and has been used for routes without the traffic to justify a 747. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730/30 "2004-01-12T13:27:56Z")
A-ha…the NY Port Authority limits non-stop La Guardia flights to 1500 miles. Hence nothing transatlantic. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730/31 "2004-01-12T14:21:08Z")
Finally I’ve found some decent data on passenger numbers. Love Field was number 56 in N America in 2002…now to see if there’s any higher. Oh boy, I’m a sad sad person. [http://www.aci-na.org/docs/2002passrankings.htm](http://www.aci-na.org/docs/2002passrankings.htm) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730/32 "2004-01-12T14:22:38Z")
BTW, I think we have to count Canadian flights as international, no matter where the customs checks take place. And Van Nuys doesn’t count, because passenger numbers are what we’re considering. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730/33 "2004-01-12T14:44:17Z")
Anybody want to improve on John Wayne Airport, almost 8m passengers and nothing international? BTW, the largest non-international in the UK seems to be Newquay, with 2 737s to London and a couple of small flights to the Scilly Isles each day. Puts us in perspective, lol. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730/34 "2004-01-12T22:45:22Z")
Van Nuys is an interesting answer, but John Wayne (or whatever beats it, if such an airport exists) is probably the real answer to my question, which was intended to be about passenger travel. And **GorillaMan** s’ right – Canada, Mexico and Caribbean countries all count as international flights for my question’s sake. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-biggest-non-international-airport-in-the-us/223730.md?page=1)