Data sources

Primary airport data

Source: OpenFlights airports.dat (raw.githubusercontent.com/jpatokal/openflights)

Airport metadata — IATA codes, ICAO codes, names, cities, latitude and longitude, and time zones — is loaded from the OpenFlights airports.dat file maintained on GitHub. OpenFlights has been an open-data reference for the aviation community for over a decade and remains the most accessible single source for global airport metadata.

The dataset is fetched at build time by our seed script and persisted as JSON on disk. Page templates read this file at request time and render server-side HTML — there is no client-side rendering and no live API call from a browser.

Passenger volume and rankings

Passenger volume figures are cross-referenced against the publicly maintained list of busiest airports in the United States, which aggregates FAA-reported enplanement data. Where the seed script can match an airport in the OpenFlights dataset to an entry in the rankings, we surface the rank prominently.

Where ranking data is not available for an airport in our directory, we display its rank within our internal directory order. Specific passenger figures shown on airport pages are estimates derived from the rank.

Editorial content

Editorial sections — parking advice, ground transport breakdowns, hotel suggestions, terminal feature lists — are written using consistent templates that reflect patterns common across major US airports. Specific rates, hotel availability, and concession listings change frequently; we recommend confirming time-sensitive details on the airport's official website before you travel.

What we do not store

Terminal Guide does not store live flight status, gate assignments, or TSA wait times. For live operational data, the operating airline's app and the airport's official website are the most reliable sources.

Refresh policy

The OpenFlights metadata is re-fetched whenever we update the site. Editorial templates are reviewed periodically. Last data refresh: 2026-05-03.