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

This contrasts with the conventional "hub-and-spoke" model, which involves flying passengers into hub airports from a regional, short-haul network, where they can transfer onto large planes for long-haul services on busy international routes.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025

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 • Nov. 13, 2023

The agency is also forming what it calls “a hub-and-spoke health innovation network,” dubbed ARPANET-H, to help coordinate efforts such as clinical trials or tests of devices in community health centers or rural hospitals.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 10, 2023

“It’s an intensely orchestrated hub-and-spoke system, so when one of the hubs is delayed, it’s not just a trickle, it’s a wave that goes out from there,” Tajer said.

From Washington Post • Apr. 1, 2023