Business
Flying High: The Top Ten Airline Routes by Revenue
Flying High: The Top 10 Airline Routes by Revenue
The airline industry is a tough business. Profit margins are narrow, airplanes are expensive to run and maintain, and government regulation and taxation can be onerous and unpredictable.
In addition, demand can stall by the outbreak of disease, recession, war, or terrorism. So when a company has a winning airline route, it makes all the difference to a company’s bottom line.
Today’s visualization uses data from OAG Aviation Worldwide, which tracked the airline routes that generated the most revenue from April 2018 to March 2019.
Top 10 Highest Revenue Routes by Airline
North American routes dominate the global rankings. However, it is the connections from the U.S Northeast and Europe that generate the most revenue and often the most delays.
Only one route breaks the billion dollar barrier: British Airways’ service between London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK).
Airline | Airport Pair | Countries | Total Revenue US$ 2018/19 |
---|---|---|---|
British Airways | JFK-LHR | 🇺🇸🇬🇧 | $1,159,126,794 |
Qantas Airlines | MEL-SYD | 🇦🇺 | $849,260,322 |
Emirates | LHR-DXB | 🇬🇧🇦🇪 | $796,201,645 |
Singapore Airlines | LHR-SIN | 🇬🇧🇸🇬 | $735,597,614 |
United Airlines | SFO-EWR | 🇺🇸 | $689,371,368 |
American Airlines | LAX-JFK | 🇺🇸 | $661,739,368 |
Qatar Airways | LHR-DOH | 🇬🇧🇶🇦 | $639,122,609 |
Cathay Pacific Airways | HKG-LHR | 🇭🇰🇬🇧 | $604,595,063 |
Singapore Airlines | SYD-SIN | 🇦🇺🇸🇬 | $549,711,946 |
Air Canada | YVR-YYZ | 🇨🇦 | $541,122,509 |
Air Canada’s route between Vancouver and Toronto bottoms out the list with $541 million of revenue in 2019. Low population density, high infrastructure costs, and an aviation industry that is essentially an oligopoly, are all factors driving up ticket costs in Canada.
North America, Top 10 Highest Revenue Routes by Airline
Here’s a look at only the top-grossing routes connected to North America, including the prior ones that made the global list.
Airline | Airport Pair | Countries | Total Revenue US$ 2018/19 |
---|---|---|---|
British Airways | JFK-LHR | 🇺🇸🇬🇧 | $1,159,126,794 |
United Airlines | SFO-EWR | 🇺🇸 | $689,371,368 |
American Airlines | LAX-JFK | 🇺🇸 | $661,739,788 |
Air Canada | YVR-YYZ | 🇨🇦 | $541,122,509 |
British Airways | BOS-LHR | 🇺🇸🇬🇧 | $523,527,241 |
Air France | JFK-CDG | 🇺🇸🇫🇷 | $486,378,698 |
United Airlines | LAX-EWR | 🇺🇸 | $479,908,312 |
Cathay Pacific Airways | JFK-HKG | 🇺🇸🇭🇰 | $475,514,451 |
Delta Air Lines | LAX-JFK | 🇺🇸 | $465,130,366 |
British Airways | LAX-LHR | 🇺🇸🇬🇧 | $452,136,502 |
Transcontinental routes dominate the domestic market with LAX–JFK appearing twice in the ranking for both American and Delta Air Lines.
Asia, Top 10 Highest Revenue Routes by Airline
Despite Asia’s rise as an economic superpower, there are no routes that break the billion dollar barrier. Singapore Airlines’ Singapore (SIN) to London’s Heathrow (LHR) tops the list, generating $736 million in 2019.
Airline | Airport Pair | Countries | Total Revenue US$ 2018/19 |
---|---|---|---|
Singapore Airlines | SIN-LHR | 🇸🇬🇬🇧 | $735,597,614 |
Cathay Pacific Airlines | HKG-LHR | 🇭🇰🇬🇧 | $604,595,063 |
Singapore Airlines | SIN-SYD | 🇸🇬🇦🇺 | $549,711,946 |
Vietnam Airlines | SGN-HAN | 🇻🇳 | $488,487,259 |
Cathay Pacific Airlines | HKG-JFK | 🇭🇰🇺🇸 | $475,514,451 |
Japan Airlines | OKA-HND | 🇯🇵 | $447,224,346 |
Singapore Airlines | CGK-SIN | 🇮🇩🇸🇬 | $436,905,694 |
Japan Airlines | FUK-HND | 🇯🇵 | $431,457,469 |
Singapore Airlines | SIN-MEL | 🇸🇬🇦🇺 | $414,276,407 |
Cathay Pacific Airlines | HKG-SIN | 🇭🇰🇸🇬 | $389,910,239 |
The routes that dominate Asia connect the financial hubs of London, New York, Singapore, and Hong Kong. There are also two domestic routes in Japan, connecting both Fukuoka (FUK) and Okinawa (OKA) to Tokyo’s Haneda (HND) airport.
Africa, Top 10 Highest Revenue Routes by Airline
At the top of the ranking in Africa is Johannesburg (JNB) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) with revenues of $315 million. Dubai has become an important hub for high value flights arriving and departing Africa, a position that may prove profitable as air traffic on the continent increases in coming years.
Airline | Airport Pair | Countries | Total Revenue US$ 2018/19 |
---|---|---|---|
Emirates | JNB-DXB | 🇿🇦🇦🇪 | $315,678,326 |
British Airways | JNB-LHR | 🇿🇦🇬🇧 | $295,167,492 |
Saudi Arabian Airlines | CAI-JED | 🇪🇬🇸🇦 | $242,155,949 |
TAAG Angola Airlines | LAD-LIS | 🇦🇴🇵🇹 | $231,155,949 |
South African Airlines | JNB-CPT | 🇿🇦 | $184,944,128 |
Emirates | CAI-DXB | 🇪🇬🇦🇪 | $181,392,011 |
Emirates | CPT-DXB | 🇿🇦🇦🇪 | $176,743,498 |
Air France | ABJ-CDG | 🇨🇮🇫🇷 | $174,986,272 |
British Airways | CPT-LHR | 🇿🇦🇬🇧 | $174,605,201 |
Emirates | MRU-DXB | 🇲🇺🇦🇪 | $163,952,609 |
Despite the smaller earnings compared to larger markets, some airline companies see the potential for growth in Africa. Virgin Atlantic will fly a route between London’s Heathrow and Cape Town in South Africa, while Qatar Airlines acquired a stake in RwandAir.
Financial Hubs
The cities that appear in the top revenue ranking are revealing. Since business and first class travelers are such an important revenue driver, it makes sense that connections between the world’s financial hubs are delivering big value to airlines.
As Asian and African economies continue to evolve, what route could be the next billion dollar route for airlines?
Markets
The Fastest Rising U.S. Housing Markets in 2024
As U.S. home prices hit record highs, which housing market is seen the fastest growth? This graphic shows the top 10 across the country.
The Fastest Rising U.S. Housing Markets in 2024
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
The U.S. housing market has been on a tear, with median sales prices rising more than 40% since February 2020.
While cities in southern states like Florida have witnessed some of the strongest price growth, more affordable cities across the Midwest are also seeing growing demand as buyers seek out cheaper options.
This graphic shows the U.S. metros with the fastest price growth, based on data from Redfin.
Hottest Housing Markets in America
Below, we rank the metropolitan areas with the fastest annual median sales price growth as of February 2024:
Rank | Metro | Median Sales Price Growth Feb 2024 YoY |
---|---|---|
1 | Pittsburgh, PA | +22.0% |
2 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | +18.0% |
3 | Greensboro, NC | +17.8% |
4 | Meridian, ID | +17.3% |
5 | Toledo, OH | +17.0% |
6 | Boca Raton, FL | +16.4% |
7 | West Palm Beach, FL | +16.1% |
8 | Orlando, FL | +15.9% |
9 | Milwaukee, WI | +15.6% |
10 | Alexandria, VA | +15.4% |
U.S. average | +6.5% |
Pittsburgh, PA soars to the top of the list, with median sale prices jumping 22% over the year.
Once known as a center for steel and iron manufacturing, the city has emerged as a hub for high-tech industries including robotics, software engineering, and healthcare. At a time when housing affordability is near record lows, buyers have flocked to the market thanks to its lower home prices. In February, median sales prices in Pittsburgh were $250,000 compared to the U.S. median price of $412,219.
Following next in line is Fort Lauderdale, FL with prices jumping 18% annually. Like several cities across the state, property values have boomed thanks to the state’s warm climate and low taxes. The state also ranks as one of the best in the country to retire. In 2023, it was one of the fastest growing states in the country, adding 365,205 residents overall.
As we can see, just one housing market in the West, Meridian, ID, is experiencing some of the strongest price growth in the country. Since the pandemic, many Californians priced out of expensive real estate markets have moved to the state due to its strong job market, low crime rate, and affordability. In fact, Los Angeles and San Francisco are some of the top metropolitan areas nationally that people are moving away from due to remote-work trends and the high cost of living.
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