Which Fast Food Chain Has The Most Airport Locations?

There exists a very specific, very necessary routine for airport travel: go through security, navigate to your gate, make sure the gate exists, and then depart to find food/snacks before waiting for the flight to board. One thing you'll notice about airports throughout this routine is that people are always in a rush — whether it's running to make a flight or hustling to catch a taxi — so it only makes sense that food and beverage options need to be fast, too. There are the quick-stop stores that sell ridiculously expensive airport food like candy bars and yogurt parfaits, but maybe you want something heartier. If you're in the mood for a warm chicken sandwich, you're in luck — according to a study by Upgraded Points, Chick-fil-A has more locations in more busy airports than any other fast-food restaurant. (McDonald's has the same number of restaurants, but they are spread over fewer airports.)

The best airport food options are quick, convenient, and easily accessible. Luckily, Chick-fil-A's menu options tick every box on that checklist. A Grilled Spicy Chicken Deluxe Sandwich paired with a cup of the best fast food sweet tea is not only easy to carry around a busy airport, but also easy to eat and relatively mess-free. Chick-fil-A's dominance as the most common fast-food chain in airports comes as little surprise since it consistently ranks among the top five most popular fast-food chains in America.

In the study of 60 major airports across the U.S., Chick-fil-A locations appeared in a staggering 42%, reigning supreme above other well-known chains such as Burger King, Wendy's, and even McDonald's. Across 25 of those 60 major airports, you'll find 35 Chick-fil-A locations, meaning some airports even have more than one. The popular chicken chain can be found everywhere from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport. This means even more opportunities to find a Chick-fil-A on your four-hour layover — unless, of course, you happen to travel on a Sunday.

This quirky chain, with its cow mascots, has taken the restaurant industry by storm, steadily growing throughout the years to become the highest-grossing U.S. fast-food chain. It even has plans to expand internationally, though sadly the U.K.'s first Chick-fil-A closed just months after opening. If Chick-fil-A's rapid expansion and statistics as the most common fast-food chain in airports is evidence of anything, it's that you can expect to see more of those beloved chicken sandwiches in terminals in the future.