JAN 12 THE BUSIEST AIRLINE ROUTES WORLDWIDE

JAN 12 THE BUSIEST AIRLINE ROUTES WORLDWIDE.

While 2017 will be remembered by hurricanes, wildfires and floods, at least one thing went horribly right last year: It was the first year EVER without any fatalities from commercial airline flights worldwide. Wow! To celebrate the safest method of travel, here are the TOP SEVEN most popular routes airlines fly. NOTE: All are domestic flights.

#7 Los Angeles - San Francisco, USA. 34,897 annual flights. America's sole entry links California's two metropolises. Inside the suburbs of each city you'll find six other airports that fly similar routes. If you add in all the flights between Oakland, San Jose and Long Beach, Burbank, Ontario and Orange County airports, this route would be #1.

#6. Sapporo - Tokyo, Japan. 38,389 annual flights. Two entries on our list connect Japanese islands with Tokyo and Honshu. Although the two islands are connected by the world's second longest tunnel (even longer the Chunnel), the airlines still boast impressive ridership numbers. And...yes...the Sapporo Brewery offers fun tours! 

#5. Rio de Janeiro - Sao Paulo, Brazil. 39,325 annual flights. Ginormous Brazil is the most airline-dependent nation on the list. Roads are few and rails even fewer. Airlines keep the nation going, so it comes as no surprise to see the two metropolises of Rio and Sao Paolo at #5. NOTE: At $88/average ticket price, this is also the cheapest on the list as well.

#4 Fukuoka - Tokyo, Japan. 42,835 annual flights. This route connects Japan's two largest islands, Honshu and Kyushu. Again, a bullet train is also available, but an airplane does the job in two hours, twice as fast as the train. I guess that means planes are faster than bullets!

#3. Mumbai - Delhi, India. 47,462 annual flights. It takes just over two hours to fly from India's

commercial center to the political establishment. With 1.4 billion people to look after, this results in a hundred flights every day. Airline travel is experiencing a boom in India, as constant technological advances cut times and fares. Not so much on the trains, where the same route takes 16 hours!

#2. Melbourne - Sydney, Australia. 54,519 annual flights. Another vast nation heavily dependent on air travel, Australia's top route is now the second most popular on the planet. While the numbers have grown, the airports themselves have not. Congestion leads to delays and this route is second-most delayed on the list (LA - SF is tops with 36% of flights leaving late.) 

#1. Seoul - Jeju, Korea. 64,991 annual flights. The busiest route in the world is surprising. It connects Korea's capital with it's favorite vacation spot. That's right, while the other routes are all about business, this one is all about pleasure. Jeju features beaches, casinos, nature trails and even Loveland, a sex-themed amusement park.