The summer vacation window may be closing as kids return to school, but that doesn’t mean Kentuckians aren’t still looking to travel. Next Monday is National Aviation Day, a commemorative day established in the U.S. 85 years ago that also falls on Orville Wright’s birthday. Thanks to Orville and his brother Wilbur’s efforts more than 120 years ago, millions of Americans fly for business or pleasure across the country and the globe.
As we map out our travel plans for UofL and UK college football games this fall, BetKentucky wanted to know what airline Bluegrass State travelers prefer.
Utilizing Google Trends, BetKentucky.com took a break from Kentucky sports betting and analyzed the most popular airlines of Kentucky residents by looking at the search results of each airline between August 12, 2023 – August 12, 2024.
Favorite Airlines of Kentucky Residents
Rank | Airline | Search Interest Score |
1 | American Airlines | 73 |
2 | United Airlines | 35 |
3 | Frontier Airlines | 27 |
4 | Spirit Airlines | 25 |
5 | Delta Airlines | 22 |
It’s All American In Kentucky
It’s not a shock that when most Kentuckians want to fly, they look for something special in the air. American Airlines happens to be the top carrier at airports in the state’s two largest cities.
According to the Louisville Regional Airport Authority, American and its network of regional carriers have had nearly 325,000 scheduled passengers fly out of Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport during the first six months of 2024. That equals a market share of more than 27%.
At Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, American accounts for 38% of the ridership through the first six months of the year, and the 140,683 passengers who have flown with the carrier through June is up nearly 20% from the same period last year.
Kentucky’s largest airport is located in Northern Kentucky. American is the No. 2 carrier at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, with 987 flights scheduled for next month according to FlightsFrom.com. Passengers can fly direct to 13 destinations from CVG, including Cancun.
Other Airlines Popular In Kentucky Include…
While American was clearly the preferred choice for Kentucky flyers, two traditional and two value carriers were tightly bunched to round out the top five.
Delta Airlines was the third most popular carrier in Louisville, with almost 265,000 passengers scheduled to board its planes or regional partners during the past six months. Delta is also the most popular carrier at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, with 1,258 flights scheduled there next month, and it’s the second most popular provider at Blue Grass Airport as 35% of Lexington passengers boarding its planes during the first six months of 2024.
United Airlines ranked fourth in Louisville and Lexington, according to the passenger data, and it has the third most flights out of CVG next month.
Those looking for cheaper fares were most likely to visit Frontier and Spirit, which competes with Southwest Airlines for passengers in the value category. More than 81,000 people have flown with Spirit in Louisville through June of this year, while Frontier has nearly 340 flights out of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky in the next month.
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Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.
