Beaches, Theme Parks and Runways: Florida is now America’s third most populous state—and an airline supermarket

In 1980, just as the U.S. airline industry was deregulating, Florida was the country’s seventh most populous state, with about 10m people. Today, with 20m people, it ranks No. 3, behind only California and Texas and slightly ahead of New York. Last year, Florida welcomed a record 117m visitors, including 14m from outside the U.S. This helped the state’s economy surpass $1t in GDP, larger than the economies of Switzerland, Saudia Arabia or Argentina. The state’s 18 major airports handled 87m passengers. Is Florida an important market for airlines? Better believe it.