What Is A Hub And Why Is It Important?

Look at the trip terms Connection and On-line Connection again. Most long-haul trips (considered trips of 2000 miles or more) require a connection, often an on-line connection. This is due to the hub system or hub and spoke systems airlines use to schedule aircraft and flight crews to maximize on-line connection capabilities.

Major airports in North America have become hubs for one or more airlines. These airports are at a geographical center of a carrier’s route structure, and generally include administrative offices and maintenance facilities. The system provides convenient on-line service between a much greater number of cities and, with careful planning, ensures that the carrier does not lose the connecting passenger to another airline. The map below illustrates the concept. In this example the hub cities are Salt Lake City (SLC), Cincinnati (CVG) and Atlanta (ATL). Note: To decode the remainder of the city codes used in this course, click here.

Making Connections

A hub is a point where passengers can make connections from one aircraft to another to reach a final destination. Multiple flights arrive from outlying cities and then depart for other cities all within an hour or so. This time period is referred to as a “bank.” Typically, there is a morning bank, one or two afternoon banks and an evening bank in any given hub for any given carrier. Passengers can arrive on a flight, then make convenient on-line connections or off-line connections and proceed to any one of many different destinations.