Looking for healthier food at airports? Head south

If your stomach is grumbling for healthy food while you're flying home for the holidays, hopefully you'll find yourself at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. That airport has the highest percentage of restaurants offering at least one low-fat, cholesterol-free vegetarian entree, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Dietitians for the industry trade group looked at the menus of every food vendor at the country's 14 busiest airports, as well as at Reagan Washington National Airport. Boston's Logan International Airport didn't make the cut based on passenger traffic, so its restaurants weren't examined for health-conscious fare.

The seventh annual survey found 89 of the 95 eateries at D-FW, or 94 percent, served at least one healthy entree. Chicago O'Hare International and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County airports tied for second place with 93 percent. Los Angeles International and Newark Liberty International tied for third place with 89 percent. New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport scored 76 percent, ranking at No. 8. And Reagan Washington National Airport slid in at the bottom of the list with just 10 of its 24 restaurants, or 42 percent, offering something healthy to nosh on.

The airports are going to be crowded this holiday season, but chances are, no more so than last year. The Air Transport Association of America, an industry trade group, estimates 47 million passengers will fly on US airlines headed to destinations around the world during the winter holiday period, which it defines as Dec. 13 to Jan. 2.

The association expects Jan. 2 to be the busiest air travel day on US airlines, followed by Dec. 21, Dec. 27, and Dec. 26, with more than 2.5 million passengers on average traveling each day. It predicts the quietest day will be Christmas Day, followed by Christmas Eve, each with an average of 1.9 million passengers.

NICOLE C. WONG