Amazon is on the hunt for #HQ2. Many cities across the country have cast their bid to win the $5 billion investment and 50,000 new jobs. Now comes the evaluation, where Amazon will consider criteria such as the business environment, housing for talent, and overall general capacity and location for #HQ2. Which got us thinking, what about travel?

Airfarewatchdog analyzed a variety of American cities based on different aspects of travel and came up with the top ten options, based on their travel efficiency for future Amazon employees.

The ranking focuses on aspects of travel that would most impact someone who would be working or traveling to work at the new HQ, including: number of airports, international travel capacity (based on passenger count), metro accessibility to transit, rideshare appeal, number of hotels, most airfare deals (based on prevalence of Airfarewatchdog deals), number of airline hubs, and on-time arrivals/departures for airports in the city.

Below are the top 10, in no particular order:

  • Atlanta
    • Atlanta makes our list due to its appeal to rideshare drivers by having low driving costs. It should be noted, while not factored into our ranking, Atlanta is the busiest U.S. airport which could result in more flight options, as well as congestion.
  • Boston
    • This academic center is a strong contender, with four airports in its metro area. It also offers multiple options to get to and from work with its mass transit, rail, and allure of rideshare and car sharing apps.
  • Chicago
    • Amazon could head to the Midwest and opt to build its next HQ in Chicago. Not only do four major airlines consider it a hub, our fare experts also view it as one of the best airports to find airfare deals.
  • Dallas
    • Will Amazon employees soon be cheering on America’s team? This city is one of the best to score an airfare deal and has a pretty good amount of hotels. 
  • Houston
    • This prosperous business community could be well suited for Amazon, given the quantity of hotels and international travel.
  • Los Angeles
    • Will LA be smiling? While it lacks on on-time arrivals/departures, it ranks well almost every other factor.
  • New York City
    • Some say this city has been bragging why it’s best fit for #HQ2, and maybe there’s some truth in that. It has access to the most airports and strong transit offerings.
  • Orlando
    • Will this city be known for a second big company? Perhaps. Home to multiple airports and hubs, its frequent visitors also means access to hotels, as well as many great deals found by airfare experts.
  • San Francisco
    • While still on the west coast, San Francisco should be considered. The metro area itself has good access to transit and also a wealth of ride sharing options.
  • Washington D.C.
    • The nation’s capital has a lot of things going for it in our rankings, despite not being a hub. It offers travelers three airport options and has a high capacity for international travelers.

It should be noted, Seattle also ranked well in our criteria, but we know Amazon already has that city covered. 

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