Chicago O’Hare leads U.S. airports in non-stop destination connectivity

New York JFK is seventh on the list with flights to 193 destinations, primarily international at 123. Houston Bush offers connections to 192 locations, Charlotte serves 188 destinations, and Newark rounds out the top ten with service to 187 places.

The data suggests that while New York has significant connectivity through two major airports—JFK and LaGuardia—their flight numbers are limited by slot restrictions. Similarly, Los Angeles’ connectivity is less extensive towards Europe due to its West Coast location.

Large hub cities like Dallas, Atlanta, Denver, and Charlotte exhibit substantial connectivity despite not being coastal giants. This is attributed to their roles as major hubs for leading U.S. airlines. The concentration of airline operations in these hubs supports a high volume of flights.

Charlotte’s position reflects a common trade-off seen in such hubs: increased non-stop services but higher fares due to reduced competition from other carriers.

The analysis acknowledges that airline consolidation has paradoxically led to an increase in flight numbers in the U.S., driven by hub effects where larger hubs support more connections and thus justify additional flights.

Internationally, Toronto Pearson is noted as Canada’s most connected airport with service to 202 destinations. Globally, Istanbul leads with connections to 309 destinations via Turkish Airlines.