hub-and-spoke

American  

[huhb-uhn-spohk] / ˈhʌb ənˈspoʊk /

adjective

1. of or designating a system of air transportation by which local flights carry passengers to one major regional airport where they can board long-distance or other local flights for their final destinations.

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hub-and-spoke British  

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: hub.  (modifier) denoting a method of organizing intercontinental air traffic in which one major airport is used as a feeder for local airports

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Etymology

Origin of hub-and-spoke

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

U.S. executives also visited China to learn from Sam’s Club’s hub-and-spoke model for delivery.

From The Wall Street Journal

Innovative models are already emerging - Kerala state, for instance, is using a "hub-and-spoke approach" to support lower-level facilities in managing serious infections.

From BBC

They operate “hub-and-spoke” flights that necessitate a connection, and then they often schedule the connections too close together.

From Seattle Times

This also marked the beginning of the hub-and-spoke system, where airlines established hubs and dispatched flights along profitable “spoke” routes.

From Seattle Times

Airlines use what’s called a hub-and-spoke system, which means if you’re flying somewhere, you might be making a connection in Atlanta, Chicago or Dallas.

From Seattle Times