Ever since the Wright brothers did their thing in Kitty Hawk, aviation has astonished the masses. The air travel industry just keeps growing as technology advances, which makes it even more fascinating to observe. Even airports have become destinations unto themselves, with gorgeous architecture and attractions like the 130-foot-tall indoor waterfall at Singapore's Changi Airport. Buckle your safety belt and prepare to have your mind blown with these air travel facts.
Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International is the world's busiest airport.
It has held this record for the past 21 years. Over 107 million passengers flew through the Atlanta hub in 2018.
There's an average of 5,000 planes in the sky over the U.S. during peak hours.
According to the FAA, peak hours are between 3pm and 10pm GMT. That estimate also includes air traffic from Puerto Rico and Bermuda.
Pilots and co-pilots are supposed to eat different meals during flights.
The FAA does not strictly enforce this rule, but it is strongly encouraged. The rule exists in case there is something wrong with the food and it makes one of the pilots sick. Pilots are also advised to avoid certain foods, like raw fish.
There are over 5,000 public airports in the U.S.
Additionally, there are over 14,000 private airports. That is a lot of runway space.
Over 2.7 million people fly through U.S. airports every day.
Statistics show that the number of commercial flights has actually gone down in recent years, but the aircrafts have gotten larger. It's too bad for passengers, since that means more seats and not more leg room.
Thanksgiving is the busiest times of year for air travel.
With Thanksgiving being an American holiday rather than one with religious roots, it's a time of year when millions of people are trying to fly somewhere to be with (or away from) their loved ones. It's estimated that over 30 million people travel during that week. Though it has been widely reported that Thanksgiving Eve is the busiest travel day, it's actually the Sunday after when everyone is trying to get back to wherever they originally traveled from.
Commercial flights typically fly between 31,000 and 38,000 feet.
Many factors come into play when determining the altitude for a flight, including the type of aircraft (as well as engine), the distance it's traveling, wind strength, and the weight of the plane. Aircrafts can usually go higher than that, but staying within that range is a safety precaution.
Airplanes usually fly at a cruising speed of 575 miles per hour.
Jets have flown much faster and even broken the sound barrier, but most commercial flights stick to a speed in this range.
The oldest (still active) airline is KLM.
The Dutch company was founded in 1919 and first took flight in May of 1920. Its inaugural flight was from the Netherlands to Croydon Airport in London.
Alaska Airlines was the first to offer online check-in.
This easy breezy system was introduced in 1999. Most airlines that offer the service allow you to check in for your flight 24 hours before your scheduled departure.
Adam is an NYC-based writer who has covered everything from men's fashion to video games and travel. He loves any opportunity to write about pop culture or essays inspired by his personal life.
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