We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
Airline Hubs: Which Carrier Dominates Your Airport?
Read MoreHide Full Article
Airline hubs are specific airports that an airline company uses as a transfer spot to get travelers to their intended destination. This system is part of the spoke-hub transportation model, which has been favored by many airlines since the industry was deregulated in 1978. The model consists of a system of connections in which all airline traffic moves across spokes linked to the hub at the center.
For example, Denver and Los Angeles represent hubs, with many spokes reaching outward to other cities. The purpose of this model is simple: to save airlines money and to provide passengers better routes to their selected destinations. Today, most airlines have at least one main airport that their flights must travel through, and from there, the flights go outwards on different network spokes.
So which airlines dominate which airports? Let’s take a look at six major U.S. airlines, and see where their hubs are located.
American Airlines (AAL - Free Report) The world’s largest airline by fleet size and revenue, American Airlines has been an industry staple since its formation in 1930. The company is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and since its merger with US Airways in 2013, American Airlines operates nine domestic hubs:
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Charlotte-Douglas International Airport
Chicago O’Hare International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Miami International Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport
Delta Air Lines (DAL - Free Report) Like American, Delta Air Lines has been present in the U.S. airline industry for decades. It began carrying passengers in 1929, and has grown rapidly since then due to many airline mergers. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Delta operates 10 domestic hubs:
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport
New York City’s La Guardia Airport
Boston’s Logan International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
Salt Lake City International Airport
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
And three international hubs:
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Tokyo Narita International Airport
Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport
Southwest Airlines (LUV - Free Report) Touted as the world’s largest low-cost carrier, Southwest Airlines was launched in 1967 and is known for its Rapid Rewards frequent-flyer program. Its headquarters is in Dallas, Texas. While Southwest does not use the hub and spoke transportation model (it prefers the old-fashioned point-to-point system, which carries passengers short distances with few connecting flights), the airline still operates out of 10 major domestic cities:
Chicago Midway International Airport
Baltimore-Washington International Airport
Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport
Dallas Love Field Airport
Denver International Airport
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Houston, Texas’ William P. Hobby Airport
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Orlando International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
United Continental Holdings (UAL - Free Report) Headquartered in Chicago, United Continental Holdings is an airline holding company for United Airlines and Continental Airlines, which formed in a merger back in 2010. Operating more than 700 mainline aircraft, United Continental needs a lot of hubs. The airline company has nine hubs in total, eight domestic:
Chicago O’Hare International Airport
Houston, Texas’ George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Like Southwest, JetBlue Airways is a popular low-cost airline option headquartered in Long Island in New York City. It serves 97 destinations in the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. JetBlue was founded in 1998, and primarily uses Airbus and Embraer aircraft. Since it utilizes the point-to-point system, the airline operates out of six domestic focus cities:
Alaska Airlines is an American airline founded back in 1932. Originally offering flights from Anchorage, Alaska, the airlines today has flights to more than 100 destinations including Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Alaska Airlines’ fleet consists of mostly Boeing (BA) 737 aircraft, as well as Bombardier and Embraer planes. The company has three main hubs:
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Portland International Airport
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
And two focus cities:
San Diego International Airport
San Jose International Airport
As you can see, these six major airlines overlap in their hub or major operating city location nationwide, which can be looked at as a positive thing for frequent travelers. The hub and spoke model offers each airline (even Southwest and JetBlue) a way to replace a high number of half-empty routes with fewer, fuller ones, which then leads to less delays and a wide variety of connections.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>
See More Zacks Research for These Tickers
Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:
Image: Bigstock
Airline Hubs: Which Carrier Dominates Your Airport?
Airline hubs are specific airports that an airline company uses as a transfer spot to get travelers to their intended destination. This system is part of the spoke-hub transportation model, which has been favored by many airlines since the industry was deregulated in 1978. The model consists of a system of connections in which all airline traffic moves across spokes linked to the hub at the center.
For example, Denver and Los Angeles represent hubs, with many spokes reaching outward to other cities. The purpose of this model is simple: to save airlines money and to provide passengers better routes to their selected destinations. Today, most airlines have at least one main airport that their flights must travel through, and from there, the flights go outwards on different network spokes.
So which airlines dominate which airports? Let’s take a look at six major U.S. airlines, and see where their hubs are located.
American Airlines (AAL - Free Report)
The world’s largest airline by fleet size and revenue, American Airlines has been an industry staple since its formation in 1930. The company is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and since its merger with US Airways in 2013, American Airlines operates nine domestic hubs:
Delta Air Lines (DAL - Free Report)
Like American, Delta Air Lines has been present in the U.S. airline industry for decades. It began carrying passengers in 1929, and has grown rapidly since then due to many airline mergers. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Delta operates 10 domestic hubs:
And three international hubs:
Southwest Airlines (LUV - Free Report)
Touted as the world’s largest low-cost carrier, Southwest Airlines was launched in 1967 and is known for its Rapid Rewards frequent-flyer program. Its headquarters is in Dallas, Texas. While Southwest does not use the hub and spoke transportation model (it prefers the old-fashioned point-to-point system, which carries passengers short distances with few connecting flights), the airline still operates out of 10 major domestic cities:
United Continental Holdings (UAL - Free Report)
Headquartered in Chicago, United Continental Holdings is an airline holding company for United Airlines and Continental Airlines, which formed in a merger back in 2010. Operating more than 700 mainline aircraft, United Continental needs a lot of hubs. The airline company has nine hubs in total, eight domestic:
And one international:
JetBlue Airways (JBLU - Free Report)
Like Southwest, JetBlue Airways is a popular low-cost airline option headquartered in Long Island in New York City. It serves 97 destinations in the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. JetBlue was founded in 1998, and primarily uses Airbus and Embraer aircraft. Since it utilizes the point-to-point system, the airline operates out of six domestic focus cities:
Alaska Airlines (ALK - Free Report)
Alaska Airlines is an American airline founded back in 1932. Originally offering flights from Anchorage, Alaska, the airlines today has flights to more than 100 destinations including Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Alaska Airlines’ fleet consists of mostly Boeing (BA) 737 aircraft, as well as Bombardier and Embraer planes. The company has three main hubs:
And two focus cities:
As you can see, these six major airlines overlap in their hub or major operating city location nationwide, which can be looked at as a positive thing for frequent travelers. The hub and spoke model offers each airline (even Southwest and JetBlue) a way to replace a high number of half-empty routes with fewer, fuller ones, which then leads to less delays and a wide variety of connections.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>