Originally Posted by
EJRofChicago
But...aren't all AA flights either INTO our OUT OF a hub, given how the legacy carriers operate their networks?
Mostly yes, although especially since Covid there have been increasing numbers of routes that are "point to point" (non-hub to non-hub), like BNA-TPA and AUS-IND.
Originally Posted by
EJRofChicago
I've never understood the idea I've seen on various travel blogs that "it's better to be an elite based in a city not the hub of the airline in which you hold status," because aren't their an equal number of elite/status passengers in both directions between a given city pair? Elites have to come home as much as leave home, right?
The real distinction is
hub to hub versus
hub to/from non-hub. If you are based at a hub of your airline (say DFW), then whenever you fly nonstop to another hub (say ORD), you will be competing with the DFW elite herd heading out
and the ORD elite herd heading home. If you are based at a non-hub, at least you know that every trip starts and ends with a flight on which there is only
one city's elite herd. This is in addition to possibly cheaper connecting fares because you're not a hub captive.