Point-To-Point Vs. Hub & Spoke: What Are The Key Differences?

The 2000s and 2010s saw the question of whether point-to-point or hub-and-spoke travel would be the future of the aviation industry. Airbus bet on the hub-and-spoke system and developed the massive Airbus A380-800 to service the model while also planning to build the even larger stretched A380-900. Meanwhile, Boeing bet on the point-to-point model and developed the clean-sheet 787 'Dreamliner.'

The point-to-point model won out, and the Boeing 787 has become one of the best-selling widebody aircraft, while the Airbus A380 was discontinued in 2021. That said, this debate is not an either/or argument. Instead, it is more of a debate about the mix of the two models. With this in mind, what exactly are point-to-point and hub-and-spoke models anyway?

What Are Point-To-Point & Hub-And-Spoke Models?

The answer to what point-to-point and hub-and-spoke models are is in the names. A point-to-point network directly connects destinations without a layover on the way. An example would be flying directly from Orlando in Florida to Anchorage in Alaska instead of having a layover in the Seattle hub en route. Meanwhile, a hub-and-spoke model is the opposite, and airlines use many feeder aircraft to feed passengers via a major hub, like Delta's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

This requires passengers to have at least one change of flight. Reflecting this, there is a saying in the American South that "if you're going to heaven or hell, you have to change planes in Atlanta." Airlines operating a hub-and-spoke model tend to favor purchasing large and high-capacity aircraft to fly passengers between major hubs. They may also purchase large numbers of smaller feeder aircraft to get passengers to the hubs.

Meanwhile, airlines flying point-to-point tend to prefer mid-sized airplanes (like the A321LR or 787), although these smaller jets still need to have a sufficient range to fly long distances. The Boeing 787 is a popular widebody for the model, while the Airbus A321 (including A321LR and A321XLR) is a popular narrowbody aircraft for the system for medium flights like Boston to Edinburgh.

The Point-To-Point Model Has Both Pros & Cons

Flying passengers directly from point to point comes with pros and cons. For passengers, the pros include being able to get to the end destination faster, as it reduces or limits the number of connections needed. They may be able to fly directly between the origin and the destination, which is particularly advantageous with short-haul flights. It is also helpful for leisure flights, as passengers can fly directly to and from Caribbean sun destinations from mid-sized US cities.

The same is true for business passengers, who are frequently counting the hours it takes for them to fly between destinations. For airlines, the advantages also include having more flexibility in adding or adjusting routes around demand. Airlines operating a point-to-point model are typically more agile and able to respond to market changes faster.

Airbus A350 family

Entered service	2011
Variants	A350-900, A350-1000
Range	Up to 9,700 nautical miles
Passengers	300-410 (typical three-class configuration)
Percentage of advanced materials	53% composite and 14% titanium
US operators	Delta Air Lines, United Airlines (from 2030)

However, this model also comes with a number of drawbacks, as it can be difficult to find enough demand on these less popular routes to sell all the aircraft's seats. This is why it's often better for such airlines to use lower-capacity aircraft. Having dispersed bases leads to higher costs for crew management, aircraft maintenance, and ground handling. It's also more difficult for passengers to find connecting flights, and they may need to book another flight with a direct airline.

The Hub-And-Spoke System Also Has Its Pros & Cons

The pros and cons of the hub-and-spoke model are more or less the inverse of the point-to-point system. This model includes both feeder services to the hubs and the hub-to-hub flights themselves, and it offers passengers more connectivity as large hubs are always going to have more flight options to a greater number of destinations and attract more airlines. It comes with economies of scale, enabling airlines to concentrate on maintenance, ground handling, and passenger services.

Another advantage is that when flying hub-to-hub, airlines enjoy better load factors, allowing them to use larger aircraft (like the A380 and, in the future, the 777X) for long-haul flights. However, for passengers, this typically means there is a connection, which means that it can take hours longer to get to their destination. This is particularly an issue for time-sensitive travelers.

Another issue is that it can introduce a single point of failure for an airline's operations, as it is dependent on a hub. For example, Qatar recently had to close its airspace due to conflict in the region, and this disrupted flights to and from Doha Airport. This is the only hub for Qatar Airways from which almost all its operations are based, resulting in extensive delays and cancellations.

By comparison, such a disruption would be less consequential for US carriers, which typically operate half a dozen or so large hubs. Furthermore, this would be even less disruptive for low-cost carriers that often don't have hubs in the same way as legacy carriers.

A Mixture Of The Two

While the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and then the Airbus A350 introduced more flexibility into the system, these airliners still spend most of their time at hubs. Most legacy airlines operate hub-and-spoke models, and American, Delta, and United are notable for operating a large number of dispersed hubs, showing that airline models have layers of complexity.

Because these three giant US carriers operate dispersed hubs, their models are ill-suited to operating the largest widebody aircraft. Delta and United retired the last of their passenger 747s in 2017 and declined to purchase the A380. No US carrier has placed orders for the upcoming Boeing 777X, with United saying the aircraft is 'too big' for its operating model.

Large Widebodies Have Become Less Common In The US

Final Boeing 747s retired	2017 (by Delta and United)
Airbus A380s	None ordered by US carriers
Boeing 777X	None ordered by US carriers
Boeing 777-300ERs	Largest US passenger aircraft, operated by United and American, to be replaced by smaller A350s and 787s

While established airlines dominate the popular hub-to-hub routes in the United States, low-cost airlines like Frontier and Spirit often look for less popular routes often overlooked by the major airlines. These budget operators typically offer point-to-point travel, often between medium-sized destinations.

The Hub-And-Spoke Model Is Here To Stay

Airbus may have lost the bet on the massive A380, but that doesn't mean the end of the hub-and-spoke model, far from it. This is particularly true of airlines in the Middle East and in parts of Asia, as Dubai is currently building a new mega-airport for Emirates. When completed, the airport is expected to have a capacity of 280 million passengers annually. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has recently unveiled plans for a mega-airport that will eventually have capacity for 185 million passengers.

The busiest airport in the world in 2024 was Atlanta, and it handled 108 million passengers. While there is scope for extensive point-to-point travel between major destinations like North America and Europe (such as direct flights between Nashville and Edinburgh), this is less true of flights to other destinations. For example, US carriers only offer flights to around half a dozen of Africa's 56 countries, so guests need to fly to a hub like Addis Ababa or Dubai to reach much of Africa.

Emiratesis an example of an airline fully committed to the hub-and-spoke model. It operates the largest widebody fleet in the world and is purchasing the largest aircraft on the market to fly between the world's hubs. It has ordered 205 examples of the new Boeing 777X and has even expressed a wish for Airbus to put the Airbus A380 back into production as the updated A380neo. Few, if any, other airlines would likely be eager for another 'superjumbo.'

Two Competing Yet Complementary Models

Point-to-point and hub-and-spoke represent opposite ends of the connectivity spectrum. However, there are stages in between, including having dispersed hubs. Hub-and-spoke is more popular with mainline carriers and for long-haul flights, as, among other things, a major hub offers extensive options for connecting flights across a broad region. A good example of this is how Addis Ababa offers connectivity across Africa for Ethiopian Airlines.

Point-to-point is more popular with startup airlines, low-cost carriers, and for shorter-haul flights. These enable passengers from medium-sized US cities to fly directly to destinations such as sun destinations in the Caribbean, and from medium-sized European cities to fly directly to the Canary Islands instead of transiting through Madrid.

Efficient, long-range, and lower-capacity aircraft like the 787 and the A350 have made more long-haul point-to-point routes viable, while the new A321XLR provides more options for the narrowbody side. Contrastingly, the 777X is destined for the hub-to-hub market, making it popular in the Middle East while failing to attract a single order in North America. Still, with a rebalancing towards point-to-point models, the largest commercial aircraft on the market, the 777X, will be smaller than the A380.