Originally Posted by
pinniped
Semi-OT trivia: how often do airlines operate a route only one-way? Is anybody currently doing it into any of these popular airports with short-ish runways? DCA, MDW, LGA, etc.
Very rarely. And it usually has less to do with runways and more to do with traffic rights or demand. LGA can handle 767s and DC10s. But airlines don't fly larger planes in because profits are better found elsewhere.
In some cases you'll get a triangle route but those are less common because, believe it or not, most pax prefer a smaller plane with nonstop service over the larger plane with the extra connection along the way.