Originally Posted by
C17PSGR
In contrast, PHL and CLT are hubs to connect and catch a plane. They're efficient (at least CLT) and fine but hardly a place with the same vibe as the other locations. Maybe its that they were LUS. DFW is somewhere in between.
I will agree only that CLT is primarily a hub for AA. This is why the Europe O&D has been hit or miss there.
But ORD, DFW and MIA are AA mega hubs which - like PHL - also have strong O&D like JFK and LAX. In addition - thanks to the US Airways build up of TA routes at PHL in the 10-15 years prior to the merger, it also has more AA European destinations than JFK, and has a flagship lounge "coming soon" (according to
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...hip-lounge.jsp).
So while I get the nostalgic, romantic JFK to anywhere fixation (if you're a NY area resident), there are many PHL area residents who embark on a romantic transatlantic journey from terminal A-West, which opened around the same time as the renovated JFK T8.
But, in the bigger picture - 99% of the passengers on those flights probably picked it for price point above all else and not the psychological debate of which airport will be a better departure point....especially when you have a family of 3-4 people where the savings can mean a few extra days of vacation.