Chicago’s O’Hare Regains Title as Most Connected Airport

DALLAS - OAG, the world’s largest provider of air travel data and analytics, has released Megahubs 2022, its list of the top 50 most internationally connected airports in the world. Included in the report is the list of the top 25 most domestically connected airports in the U.S.

The report provides insights into how air travel disruptions have “affected ongoing global connectivity over the past three years.”

This year, strong demand in the domestic US air travel market propelled American airports to the top of the global list. Chicago’s O’Hare (ORD) moved up from its third-place 2019 ranking and is now the #1 most internationally connected airport in the world. It also leads all North American airports for the fifth consecutive time. Per the report, on the busiest day at ORD, there were 43,350 possible connections within a six-hour window. However, this compares to 65,294 possible connections in 2019.

Coming in second globally is Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) followed by Atlanta (ATL), Seattle (SEA), Denver (DEN), Los Angeles (LAX), and New York John F. Kennedy (JFK).

Eighteen U.S. airports landed in the top 50; 13 placed in the top 20 spots. Outside of North America, the most connected airport was Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), which came in at number 13 globally.

“With a total of 66 destinations served in August 2022 and ranking third in the world in terms of total capacity, O’Hare launched to #1 on the world stage,” said John Grant, chief analyst at OAG. “Given the combination of fewer international destinations and the strength of recovery in the U.S. domestic market, it’s not surprising that seven U.S. airports have taken the top global spots this year.”

The report shows that the top three U.S. airports are dominated by United Airlines (UA), American Airlines (AA), and Delta Air Lines (DL). UA operates 46% of flights at O’Hare and AA flies 85% of them at Dallas/Fort Worth. In Atlanta, DL has a 77% share of flights.

LCC Megahubs

The report also covers Low-Cost-Carrier Megahubs, and eight U.S. airports landed on the Top 25 of that list. Denver International Airport (DEN) moved up to third overall, up from #55 in 2019 due to the strong presence of Southwest Airlines (WN) and Frontier Airlines (F9).

Globally, London Heathrow (LHR) dropped to #22 globally after ranking as the top internationally connected airport in 2019. The number of possible connections on the busiest day of aviation at LHR has fallen by 40%. This is due to a reduction in high-frequency short-haul routes. Mexico City Juarez International Airport (MEX) is now the highest ranked non-U.S. Megahub, coming in at #8 globally.

For more insights from Megahubs 2022 and the full methodology, view the full analysis here.

Featured image: Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Photo: City of Chicago Media