CHICAGO O"HARE REMAINS THE US"S MOST CONNECTED AIRPORT

Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL) and London Heathrow (LHR) remain among the world's best connected mega hubs, according to OAG's Megahubs Index 2019.

The analysis reveals the Top 50 most internationally connected airports in the world and the Top 25 most domestically connected airports in the US.

Chicago O’Hare (Connectivity Index: 459) leads North America in connectivity for the fourth consecutive year and is the third most internationally connected airport in the world. 

On the busiest day in aviation this year, 83,580 domestic connections were possible within a three-hour window at ORD – 2% more than last year. United Airlines operates the majority of flights at O’Hare at 48%, down 2% from 2018.

San Diego International (Connectivity Index: 83), which is growing at a rate of 5%, ranked fifth in the Top 25 Low-Cost Megahub rankings, making it the highest ranked LCC airport in the Americas. Southwest is the dominant carrier at SAN, with a 39% share of seats.

“O’Hare’s continued leadership on the world stage and locally in North America is impressive," says OAG senior analyst, John Grant.

"Its connectivity network remains one of the best in the world. Hubs like Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, Houston and Atlanta continue to play a major role for travel, trade and commerce globally – essentially serving as a one-stop connectivity point to nearly every major city in the world.”

Aside from O’Hare, 13 other North American airports made OAG’s list of Top 50 Global Megahubs, including Toronto Pearson (YYZ; ICI:251), Atlanta (ATL; ICI:247), Los Angeles (LAX; ICI:219), New York John F Kennedy Airport (JFK; ICI:186) and Miami (MIA; ICI:184). 

Chicago O’Hare and Atlanta each finished one spot lower on the world stage compared to 2018, finishing third and eighth respectively in 2019.

In the US Houston (IAH; DCI:102), Seattle (SEA; DCI:94), Boston (BOS; DCI:75), Newark (EWR; DCI:49), Washington Dulles (IAD; DCI:61) and Dallas Love Field (DAL; DCI:69) all moved up in the domestic connectivity rankings this year.

American Airlines and United Airlines each control market share at six of the Top 25 U.S. Megahubs. American Airlines owns 89% of flights at Charlotte Douglas (CLT; DCI:232) and United Airlines has an 82% share of flights at Houston George Bush Intercontinental. Delta Air Lines owns 79% at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson (ATL; DCI:394).

London Heathrow (LHR) is once again the most internationally connected airport with an International Connectivity Index of 317 points, followed by Frankfurt (FRA; ICI:309).

The Megahubs Index harnesses the world’s most comprehensive schedules database to dynamically build connections through a dedicated analysis platform, Connections Analyser. 

The analysis is based on the total number of all possible connections between inbound and outbound flights within a six-hour window.