Some Angelenos like to think that Hollywood Burbank Airport is their little secret: Though it’s due for a new terminal, it’s a far smoother alternative to LAX where you can step right onto the tarmac and get there without all of the terminal-area traffic at its larger counterpart.
Well, the secret is no more: According to a new study by Lending Tree, an online lending marketplace, the travel hub is officially the second least crowded airport in all of the U.S., following Kahului Airport on Maui in Hawaii.
To come up with its list, the outlet looked at data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, analyzing available seats and passenger information to calculate occupancy rates. The research compared the number of available seats on carriers’ departing flights to the total number of passenger in those seats from 2013 through April of 2024.
The 2023 occupancy rate on flights leaving Burbank was 71.8%, compared to 70.6% at the Kahului Airport. The most crowded airport in the nation, according to the study, is St. Pete-Clearwater International in Florida, with an 87% occupancy rate.
Another California-area airport made the list as well: San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport lands at the number five spot. Below, check out the list of the top five least crowded airports in the U.S.:
1. Kahului, HI: Kahului Airport (occupancy rate: 74%)
2. Burbank, CA: Hollywood Burbank Airport (occupancy rate: 73.7%)
3. Lihue, HI: Lihue Airport (occupancy rate: 73.5%)
4. Kailua-Kona, HI: Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole (occupancy rate: 71.8%)
5. Oakland, CA: San Francisco Bay Oakland International (occupancy rate: 70.6%)