Hubandspoke

Airbus A321XLR Challenges Hub-and-Spoke Model with Long-Range Narrowbody Flights

Long-haul international travel has, for many of the largest airlines of the modern age, operated using a simple economic formula. The goal is to gather passengers from regional spoke airports, funnel them through mega-hubs like London Heathrow , Frankfurt , or Atlanta , and consolidate them onto twin-engine or four-engine widebody jets. Connecting traffic was the only way airlines could consistently guarantee high load factors on 250-to-300-seat aircraft when crossing oceans. However, the arrival of the Airbus A321XLR has changed this thinking by introducing a single-aisle jet capable of flying 4,700 nautical miles (8,704 km).