American Airlines Hubs: Guide to AA’s Hub Cities

America Airlines, headquartered in Dallas, TX, is the largest airline in the world, operating flights to 350+ destinations in 48 countries. It operates out of 10 major hubs, with Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) being the largest in terms of passenger volume and departures.

American Airline’s uses hubs as a strategic part of its network management.  The term comes from the “hub-and-spoke” system where an airline operates flights from several “spoke” cities into a hub airport.  Passengers traveling from the spoke cities connect through the hub and onto their final destination.  This system allows American Airlines to serve more passengers with fewer planes at a lower cost.

This article provides and overview of each of the 10 American Airlines hubs, including a terminal map and passenger volume.

List of American Airlines Hubs in the United States

As part of its hub-and-spoke system, American Airlines operates from ten strategically positioned hubs, connecting passengers to various domestic and international destinations.

The ten American Airlines hubs in the United States are:

American Airlines Hub Airport Passenger Traffic

Below is a table that breaks down the passenger volume for each of the American Airlines hub cities. These are some of the largest airports in the United States, with 6 of them ranking in the top 10 largest airports by total passenger traffic in 2022.

American Airlines Hubs: Summary & Terminal Maps

Here’s a summary of each American Airline hub, including the total number of terminals and the terminals and concourses American flies out of at each airport.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is American Airlines’ largest and main hub. DFW serves as the primary gateway for the airline.

• Number of Terminals and Concourses: DFW has five terminals (Terminal A, B, C, D and E) with over 160 gates.
• American Flies Out of: American Airlines primarily operates out of Terminals A, B, and C. These terminals are dedicated to American Airlines and its regional affiliate, American Eagle. Terminal D serves as an international terminal and hosts several other international airlines.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)

1. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT): Charlotte Airport is a former US Airways hub that is now an American Airlines hub after it’s acquisition of US Airways in 2013. CLT is American’s 2nd largest hub and primarily serves the southeastern United States and is a secondary Caribbean gateway hub. 

• Number of Concourses and Terminals: Charlotte Airport has a one terminal with 5 concourses (A, B, C, D, E).
• American Flies Out of: American Airlines primarily operates out of Concourses B and C. Concourse E is primarily used by American’s regional affiliate, American Eagle. Concourse D serves as an international terminal and hosts several other international airlines. Concourse A where the majority of the other airlines fly into and out of.

Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD):

O’Hare is one of two airports in Chicago, and at one point was the busiest airport in the world. Today, it ranks 4th in terms of total passenger traffic and is a hub for both American and United Airlines, with United having a slightly larger presence at this airport.

• Number of Terminals and Concourses: O’Hare has four passenger terminals with nine concourses and a total of 213 gates . ORD is American’s main hub in the Midwest.
• American Flies Out of: American Airlines and American Eagle primarily operate from Terminal 3 (concourses G, H, K, and L).

O’Hare is also a hub for United Airlines.

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK):

JFK Airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the New York area, the 6th-busiest airport in the United States, and the busiest international air passenger gateway into North America.

It’s American Airlines primary transatlantic hub, and also includes select flights to South America and Asia. American is the third largest carrier at the JFK behind Delta and jetBlue.

• Number of Terminals: JFK has five active terminals with130 gates. The terminals are numbered 1–8 but skipping terminals 2 (permanently closed in 2023), 3 (demolished in 2013) and 6 (demolished in 2011). The active terminals at JFK are Terminals 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8.
• American Flies Out of: American Airlines primarily operates out of Terminal 8 for both domestic and international flights.

JFK is also a hub for Delta Airlines and jetBlue.

LaGuardia Airport (LGA):

LaGuardia Airport is one of two American Airlines hubs in New York. It’s the 3rd busiest airport in the New York area and primarily serves domestic destinations for a variety of airlines. LGA does not have U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities, so international arrivals are only possible from airports serviced by United States border pre-clearance.

• Number of Terminals and Concourses: LaGuardia has three terminals (A, B, and C) with 72 gates.
• American Flies Out of: American Airlines operates out of Terminal B at LGA, along with a handful of other airlines.

LaGuardia is also a Delta Airlines Hub airport.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX):

LAX is the world’s 3rd busiest airport and the 2nd busiest in the United States. It’s a hub airport for America, Delta, United, and Alaska Airlines and also a focus city for Southwest, Allegiant, Air New Zealand, and Qantas.

American, followed by United, and then Southwest run the most flights from LAX.

• Number of Concourses and Terminals: LAX has 9 terminals with more than 150 gates. Each terminal is identified by a number (i.e. Terminal 1, Terminal 2, etc..) except for the West gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal, which is sometimes identified as Terminal B .
• American Flies Out of: American Airlines operates from Terminal 4 at LAX.

Miami International Airport (MIA):

Miami International Airport (MIA), is American’s 3rd largest hub. It’s the primary airport serving the Miami area with over 1,000 daily flights to 167 domestic and international destinations, including most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

• Number of Concourses and Terminals: Miami International Airport contains three terminals (North, Central, and South) and six concourses for a total of 131 gates.
• American Flies Out of: American Airlines has a strong presence at MIA and operates from multiple terminals, including Concourse D and Concourse E, for both domestic and international flights.

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL):

Philadelphia airport is American Airlines fifth-largest hub and its primary hub for the Northeastern United States, as well as its primary European and transatlantic gateway. PHL is another former US Airways hub that came over when American acquired the airline.

• Number of Terminals and Concourses: PHL has six terminals (Terminals A, B, C, D, E and F) with a total of 126 gates.
• American Flies Out of: American Airlines primarily operates out of Terminals A, B, C, and F.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX):

Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport is Arizona’s largest airport, and among the largest commercial airports in the United States. It serves as a hub for American Airlines and a focus city for Southwest Airlines.

• Number of Concourses and Terminals: PHX has 2 Terminals (Terminals 3 and 4) and 117 active gates. At one point there was a Terminal 1 and 2, but those terminals were closed and the remaining 2 terminals were not renumbered.
• American Flies Out of: American Airlines operates from Terminal 4.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA):

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is the smaller of two airports serving Washington, D.C.; the larger is Dulles International Airport, which is about 25 miles away. DCA does not have immigration and customs facilities, so it is primarily used for domestic flights.

• Number of Concourses and Terminals: DCA has 2 terminals and 59 gates. The terminals are not connected to each other after security. Terminal 1 only has 9 gates (Gates A1–A9). Terminal 2 is the newest and largest terminal with 4 concourses: Concourse B (Gates B10–B22), Concourse C (Gates C23–C34) , Concourse D (Gates D35–D45) and Concourse E (Gates E46–E59).
• American Flies Out of: American Airlines primarily operates out of Terminals B, C and D. Concourse C includes both American and jetBlue. While Concourses D and E are exclusive to American and American Eagle.

oneworld Alliance Member Airline Hubs

As a founding member of the oneworld Alliance, below are some of the other alliance airline hubs that you can connect through when flying American: