I don't remember what I posted last week, let alone 10 years ago, but if it was me, I sincerely apologize.
From my layman's perspective, there at least two types of hubs: domestic connecting hubs and international gateways that feature enough domestic flights that they can also feed the international flights.
I've never viewed AA's JFK operation as focusing on domestic connections. Rather, NYC has so much O&D (and the LGA perimeter) that JFK has quite a few long-haul domestic flights to satisfy the NYC O&D. Some of those passengers also help fill the JFK-International flights.
Same thing at LAX. While it is possible to craft some domestic connections at LAX (like SAN-LAX-SFO or SMF-LAX-JFK for fans of 3-class transcons), the primary activity is satisfying the huge LAX O&D. In the course of doing that, some passengers help feed the international flights of AA and its OW partners and some passengers inevitably connect at LAX on purely domestic itineraries.
Same thing at MIA. Over on Flyertalk, some US Airways frequent flyers relentlessly harp on MIA as a "poor domestic hub" as a rationale for why CLT will continue to get bigger and bigger and bigger. What they don't seem to realize is that AA doesn't sell very many purely domestic connections via MIA. MIA's focus is on satisfying the huge Miami O&D and feeding the huge MIA-International schedule.
I've been known to fly LAX-MIA-MCO so I can stretch out on the 777 to MIA and then connect to an A300 (now 757) to MCO. Agents will ask why I don't prefer the nonstop LAX-MCO, but that's a 757 or 738 and I prefer to connect at MIA so I can stretch out in J or F on the 777. When the plans have turned pear-shaped, some agents will insist on re-routing me via DFW, so I can sit on two mid-con MD-80s or 738s. And I respond, "let's re-route via JFK instead." But that's atypical.
ORD and DFW? Those are domestic connecting hubs (as well as international gateways). Those hubs do it all. "Hubs" in the far corners of the country aren't primarily for domestic connecting trips.
From my layman's perspective, there at least two types of hubs: domestic connecting hubs and international gateways that feature enough domestic flights that they can also feed the international flights.
I've never viewed AA's JFK operation as focusing on domestic connections. Rather, NYC has so much O&D (and the LGA perimeter) that JFK has quite a few long-haul domestic flights to satisfy the NYC O&D. Some of those passengers also help fill the JFK-International flights.
Same thing at LAX. While it is possible to craft some domestic connections at LAX (like SAN-LAX-SFO or SMF-LAX-JFK for fans of 3-class transcons), the primary activity is satisfying the huge LAX O&D. In the course of doing that, some passengers help feed the international flights of AA and its OW partners and some passengers inevitably connect at LAX on purely domestic itineraries.
Same thing at MIA. Over on Flyertalk, some US Airways frequent flyers relentlessly harp on MIA as a "poor domestic hub" as a rationale for why CLT will continue to get bigger and bigger and bigger. What they don't seem to realize is that AA doesn't sell very many purely domestic connections via MIA. MIA's focus is on satisfying the huge Miami O&D and feeding the huge MIA-International schedule.
I've been known to fly LAX-MIA-MCO so I can stretch out on the 777 to MIA and then connect to an A300 (now 757) to MCO. Agents will ask why I don't prefer the nonstop LAX-MCO, but that's a 757 or 738 and I prefer to connect at MIA so I can stretch out in J or F on the 777. When the plans have turned pear-shaped, some agents will insist on re-routing me via DFW, so I can sit on two mid-con MD-80s or 738s. And I respond, "let's re-route via JFK instead." But that's atypical.
ORD and DFW? Those are domestic connecting hubs (as well as international gateways). Those hubs do it all. "Hubs" in the far corners of the country aren't primarily for domestic connecting trips.
