The hub-and-spoke system allows for an airline to serve fewer routes by using a hub to connect to other cities (the spoke).
What are the main US hubs?
The number of hubs an airline has usually depends on the size of its home country. That way, the carrier’s network can cover as many routes as financially possible.
For example, the UK is relatively small so British Airways only has two hubs – both in London.
The United States, on the other hand, is very big so US-based airlines have many hubs.
American Airlines
Charlotte (CLT)
Chicago (ORD)
Dallas (DFW)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Miami (MIA)
New York (JFK)
New York (LGA)
Philadelphia (PHL)
Phoenix (PHX)
Washington DC (DCA)
United Airlines
Denver (DEN)
Houston (IAH)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Newark (EWR)
Chicago (ORD)
San Francisco (SFO)
Washington DC (IAD)
Delta Air Lines
Cincinnati (CVG)
Detroit (DTW)
Atlanta (ATL)
New York City (JFK)
New York City (LGA)
Boston (BOS)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Minneapolis (MSP)
Salt Lake City (SLC)
Seattle (SEA)
Can airlines have international hubs?
Although very rare, some airlines have hubs away from their home country. For example, United Airlines has a hub in Guam.