US Airports

"Mega" airports fly you further

It stands to reason that you probably won't find an international charter flight at your local airstrip. That's why airlines have teamed up with - and in some cases monopolized - large airports, or hubs, with runways built to accommodate large aircraft in order to service a multitude of national and international destinations. Hubs either have multiple major airlines or are serviced by just one, including charter aircraft

Major hubs - think Dallas' Dallas / Fort Worth or Chicago's O'Hare airports - were designated not only to facilitate air travel to a wide variety of destinations but also to make flying cheap. Hubs also play host to numerous hotel and restaurant chains as well as offer various amenities for inevitable layovers. Some airlines designate certain hubs as "focus cities," or cities that may not quite be hubs but play a role in a particular airline's flight network.

What travelers need to know, particularly if they have a favorite airline, is which airline flies out of which hub to which destinations. For instance, people who enjoy the service of American Airlines can start a flight at or connect through any of the many hubs and "focus cities" throughout the United States that offer its services. American's major hubs include Dallas / Fort Worth and O'Hare, but its focus cities include Los Angeles and New York (JFK). American also has a major Caribbean hub at San Juan, Puerto Rico.

If you have no idea where the hubs or focus cities are and are married to the idea of traveling with a particular airline, here's a partial list of airports by code and the major airlines that service them.

• BOS - Logan Airport in Boston, MA (American Airlines or AA, Delta or DL and US Airways or US)
• JFK - JFK International Airport in New York City, NY (Jet Blue or B6 and AA)
• IAD - Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. (United Airlines or UA)
• MCO - Orlando International Airport in Orlando, FL (DL)
• IAH - George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas (Southwest or WN)
• ORD - O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, IL (AA and UA)
• DTW - Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Detroit, MI (Northwest or NW)
• DFW - Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas, Texas (AA and DL)
• ATL - Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, GA (Airtran or FL and DL)
• LAS - McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, NV (America West or HP and WN)
• LAX - Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, CA (AA, UA and WN)