MEMPHIS, Tennessee —
Memphis International Airport has soared up the rankings during the coronavirus outbreak.
According to an analysis by JetTip, Memphis International Airport (MEM) has risen 23 spots and now is the 5th busiest airport in the United States.
While the airport has actually seen a 16% drop in departures, other airports have suffered 60%, 70%, and even 80% drops. JetTip says Memphis was “buoyed by the stability of cargo” and made strong gains.
JetTip compared traffic rankings from March 10 - April 7, 2020. It found drastic drops with major passenger airlines:
United: -78%
Delta: -73%
American: -71%
Southwest: 50%
But cargo companies fared much better. FedEx did not drop at all, and UPS declined by only 1%.
JetTip writes, “With the cargo airlines fully recovered from their cyclical weekend slumps, I thought it'd be interesting to compare traffic rankings among the airports in JetTip's smart flight alert coverage area in the US and Canada. The table below shows the top 50 airports based on the number of departures on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, EDT.
DFW, ORD, ATL, DEN, LAX, CLT, PHX remain in the top ten, and have been joined by MEM, SLC, and SEA which knocked out EWR, BOS, and IAH. SDF, ANC, and ONT also made strong gains rank-wise, buoyed by the stability of cargo.”
