It was once observed that the economic health of New York could be accurately traced by the number of restaurant table napkins being laundered. Airport activity is an equally precise economic indicator. By this measure, Asia is doing just great, the U.S. seems busy but growing slowly, and Europe is steady but not dramatic.
The public has a somewhat jaded view of most airports, probably because so many millions of people have suffered through visits. Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport claims the title of having the most traffic, with more than 84 million visitors in 2006--somewhat larger than the entire population of Germany.
The airport with the largest tonnage of cargo in the world is Memphis, which includes a Fed Ex hub. It processes 3.5 million tons a year--the equivalent in weight of 75 Titanics.
In the U.S., the fastest-growing passenger airports are Denver and Newark, N.J., (of all places). Anchorage, Alaska, is growing fastest among U.S. cargo airports and is keeping pace with Asia, where it gets most of its business. Only three airports make the list of busiest in both passenger traffic and cargo traffic: Charles De Gaulle in Paris, Frankfort-am-Main in Germany and Los Angeles (LAX).
The 2006 World Airport Award, given out by the monitoring organization Skytrax, honored Singapore's Changi Airport as the best in the world. Their list of top 10 did not include any U.S. airports. Wong Woong Liong, the director-general of Singapore civil aviation, said upon receiving the award, "Changi Airport's constant upgrading in facilities and improvement in services, such as the complete renovation of our Terminal 2 and the launch of a dedicated Budget Terminal earlier this year, has been awarded with this strong approval from Skytrax global users."
Hong Kong and Munich, Germany, received the No. 2 and No. 3 position awards for 2006. Copenhagen Airport was given an award for the best on-site food.
Not everyone is happy with their airline experience, regardless of the airport. The recent debacle involving JetBlue (nasdaq: JBLU - news - people ) that left thousands stranded for days has brought on a storm of protest.
JetBlue and AMR Corp.'s (nyse: AMR - news - people ) American (the world's largest carrier) have developed versions of a passenger's bill of rights--but theirs are purely voluntary. On the legislative side, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., are proposing a passenger's bill of rights that is government designed and regulated. This would surely involve more costs to the airlines, which could be passed on to passengers in the form of higher fares. Above all, lawmakers want to assure passengers that they'll have access to advanced notification of delays, prompt return to gates when there is a delay, provisions while there is a delay and some form of compensation.
"I have serious concerns about airlines' contingency planning that allows passengers to sit on the tarmac for hours on end. It is imperative that airlines do everything possible to ensure that situations like these (JetBlue and American) do not occur again," says Mary Peters the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. She has asked the Inspector General of DOT to investigate.
It might well be that major airlines, particularly American, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, UAL's United, Japan, Northwest, Deutsche Lufthansa, Air Nippon, US Airways Group and Continental Airlines, are the right parties to decide upon a passengers rights with some input from passengers, consultants and the Department of Transportation.
Among the world's busiest airports, 16 are in the U.S., seven are in Asia, six are in Europe and one is in Canada. The 2006 passenger figures reflect a total of enplaned and deplaned passengers and are compiled by the Airport Council International (ACI).
tlanta
1. Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport had a traffic volume of 84,846,639 passengers, making it king of passenger traffic. It has in past years vied with Chicago's O'Hare for top honors. It appears to have gained 1% more passengers in the past year.
Chicago
2. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is No. 2, with 76,248,911 of passengers. It has had a modest increase over the past year but in relation to the fast-growing Asian airports appears to be falling behind.
London (LHR)
3. London's Heathrow Airport is big No. 3, with 67,530,223 passengers. Heathrow is also a major cargo airport, but in this category they seem to be losing ground.
Tokyo (HND)
4. Tokyo International Airport is a close fourth, with 65,225,795 passengers and a significant 3% increase over last year. Tokyo is also a modest player in cargo.
Los Angeles (LAX)
5. Los Angeles International Airport handled 61,048,552 passengers and saw a slight rise from the previous year. This airport is also a major cargo handler and ranks as No. 8 in the world.
Dallas-Fort Worth
6. Texas' Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport served 60,079,107 passengers and gained more than 1% over a year earlier. Dallas/Fort Worth is also another player in cargo--No. 28 in the world.
Paris (CDG)
7. Charles De Gaulle International Airport handled 56,808,967 passengers and saw a significant increase of 5% over a year earlier, after substantial increases in airport infrastructure. The airport is Europe's largest cargo handler and just outranks Frankfurt.Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany
8. Frankfurt International Airport's passenger traffic is 52,810,683, with a small growth of 1% over previous year. Frankfort, like Charles de Gaulle, is a large cargo airport and ranks seventh in the world for cargo tonnage handled.Beijing
8. Beijing Capital International Airport has handled 48,501,102 passengers last year. It is a beneficiary of the Asian boom in air traffic. It regularly posts double-digit annual growth, last year surging 18% over 2005.Denver
10. Denver International Airport has racked up traffic of 47,324,844 passengers. It was almost unique in its growth in passenger traffic in the U.S. last year with over 9% surge year-over-year.Las Vegas
11. Las Vegas is a good bet for growth, as it already has 46,194,882 passengers and a nice growth rate of over 4% over the preceding year. Further building of casinos, hotels and conference facilities is likely to lead to even more robust growth.Amsterdam, Netherlands
12. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has 46,088,221 passengers. It is one of the better growing airports in Europe as it has in excess of 4% growth and is third in growth after Madrid and Charles De Gaulle.Madrid, Spain
13. Madrid Airport is increasing its passenger traffic by over 8% a year, reaching 45,500,489 in 2006. Its growth approaches Asia's best figures.Hong Kong
14. Hong Kong International Airport shares with its Asian neighbors a very healthy growth of more than 9% and last year boasted traffic of 44,020,000 passengers. Hong Kong is also the second-largest cargo handler in the world after Memphis.Bangkok, Thailand
15. Bangkok International Airport posted 2006 traffic of 42,799,532 and a growth rate of close to 10%. It is also a significant airport for cargo growth.Houston
16. Houston handled 42,628,863 passengers last year--up more than 7% over the year before--a far larger growth rate than its larger Dallas/Fort Worth neighbor.New York (JFK)
17. New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport had traffic of 42,604,975--a moderate 4% rise over a year earlier.Phoenix
18. Phoenix, Arizona's Sky Harbor Airport had traffic of 41,439,819 passengers last year and a nearly flat rate of growth.Detroit
19. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport handled 36,356,446 passengers last year and is not growing at all. It has a significant presence in cargo but that service is not growing either.Minneapolis/St. Paul
20. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport had traffic of 35,633,020 passengers in 2006 and is experiencing a nice 3%-plus growth rate.Newark, N.J.
21. Newark Liberty International Airport, part of the metropolitan New York airport collection, had traffic of 35,494,863 passengers last year and significant growth of more than 7%. Newark is also a center for cargo, with almost the same volume as London's Heathrow.Singapore
22. Singapore Changi Airport had traffic of 35,033,083 passengers last year and is growing at a rate of 8%--comparable with many of its Asian neighbors.Orlando, Fla.
23. Orlando International Airport, the nearest facility to Disney World, had traffic of 34,818,264 passengers--many of them families going for holiday. It is experiencing modest growth in volume.London (LGW)
24. London Gratwick, the British capital's second airport, welcomed 34,172,489 passengers last year--a more than 4% passenger volume growth, which is faster than its larger competitor, Heathrow.San Francisco
25. San Francisco International Airport carried traffic of 33,527,236 passengers, with a flat growth rate.Miami
26. Miami International Airport had traffic of 32,533,974 passengers and grew at a rate close to 5%. Miami is a significant player in cargo as well.Toyko (NRT)
27. Narita International Airport had traffic of 31,824,411 passengers and a low 1% growth. However, Narita is Japan's largest cargo airport and the fourth-largest in the world.Philadelphia
28. Philadelphia International Airport had traffic of 31,766,537 passengers and below 1% growth. It has a small presence in cargo traffic.Toronto
29. Toronto Pearson International Airport had traffic of 30,966,483 passengers and is growing at more than 3%.Jakarta, Indonesia
30. Jakarta Airport posted traffic of 30,863,806 passengers and a high rate of growth over 10%. It has experienced a slingshot effect from increases in Asian trade.
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