North American Flight Tips: Domestic and Beyond

The US Domestic Network: Hubs, Spokes, and Point-to-Point Routes

The United States operates the world's largest domestic aviation network, with over 700 commercial service airports and hundreds of millions of passenger boardings annually. The major network carriers—American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines—each operate hub-and-spoke systems from their fortress hubs. American's primary hubs include Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Charlotte (CLT), Philadelphia (PHL), Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX), and Miami (MIA). Delta dominates Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL), Minneapolis (MSP), Detroit (DTW), and New York JFK. United controls Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Houston Bush (IAH), Denver (DEN), Newark (EWR), San Francisco (SFO), and Washington Dulles (IAD).

Southwest Airlines operates the country's largest point-to-point domestic network, connecting cities directly without mandatory hub connections. Southwest uses a distinctive open seating policy rather than assigned seats—passengers board in groups determined by check-in time and then choose any available seat. Its Rapid Rewards loyalty program is widely regarded as one of the most consumer-friendly, with no expiring points and bags flying free (two checked bags at no charge).

Ultra-low-cost carriers including Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Breeze Airways, and Avelo Airlines have expanded aggressively across secondary and tertiary markets since 2015. These carriers offer extremely low base fares but charge separately for virtually everything: seat selection, carry-on bags (Frontier and Spirit charge for overhead bin bags), snacks, and drinks. When calculating total cost, add USD 40–70 for a carry-on bag if booking on Spirit or Frontier without bundle pricing.

TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, and NEXUS: Trusted Traveler Programs

TSA PreCheck is the US Transportation Security Administration's expedited screening program, available at over 200 US airports. Enrolled members use dedicated PreCheck lanes where shoes, laptops, liquids, belts, and light jackets do not need to be removed—significantly reducing security time. A five-year membership costs USD 78 (online renewal) or USD 85 (in person). Applications require an in-person appointment at an enrollment center; approval typically takes 2–3 weeks. PreCheck is accepted by all major US carriers and many international airlines operating US domestic routes.

Global Entry is a US Customs and Border Protection program that provides expedited customs processing for returning international travelers through automated kiosks at over 60 US airports. Approved Global Entry members automatically receive TSA PreCheck at no additional cost. The application fee is USD 100 for five years. Global Entry requires an in-person interview and a background check, but conditional approval can be obtained before the interview, allowing use of PreCheck lanes in the interim. Numerous premium credit cards—including the Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express Platinum, and Capital One Venture X—reimburse the Global Entry application fee.

NEXUS is a joint US–Canada trusted traveler program administered by CBP and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). It provides expedited crossing at designated land border crossings, US airports, and Canadian airports for travel between the two countries. The NEXUS fee is USD 50 for five years, and like Global Entry, it includes TSA PreCheck. NEXUS is an excellent value for frequent US–Canada travelers and is particularly useful at dedicated NEXUS lanes at border crossings like Peace Bridge in Buffalo and Pacific Highway in Surrey, BC.

SENTRI (Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection) is the equivalent program for US–Mexico land border crossings. All trusted traveler programs require no criminal convictions, no customs violations, and no immigration issues. Denial is possible based on these criteria.

Navigating Major US Hub Airports

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL) is consistently the world's busiest airport by passenger movements. Its seven concourses (T, A, B, C, D, E, F) are connected by an underground automated people mover, with Concourse F serving international arrivals and departures. Connection times of 45–60 minutes are achievable for domestic-to-domestic connections, but international-to-domestic connections require clearing customs and re-checking luggage, which demands a minimum of 90 minutes. Atlanta's domestic terminal is highly efficient despite its size.

Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) spans a massive area between Dallas and Fort Worth with five terminals (A, B, C, D, E) and an airside Skylink train connecting them all. American Airlines dominates DFW with hundreds of daily departures. The airport's layout means some terminal-to-terminal connections require a Skylink ride; allocate 45 minutes minimum for domestic connections. Terminal D, handling international arrivals, has a new Customs and Border Protection facility that significantly reduced processing times when it opened in 2019.

Chicago O'Hare (ORD) is notoriously prone to weather-related delays due to its position in the Great Lakes weather corridor. Winter storms, summer thunderstorms, and spring wind events regularly cascade delays throughout the US national airspace system from O'Hare. If you have a tight connection through ORD, especially in December through March, consider the risk carefully—Chicago Midway (MDW) on the city's south side serves as a Southwest hub and may offer more reliable alternatives for some routes.

Cross-Border Travel: US–Canada and US–Mexico

Flights between the United States and Canada are technically international but operationally similar to US domestic travel for pre-cleared passengers. Several Canadian airports—Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Vancouver International (YVR), Calgary (YYC), Ottawa (YOW), Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau (YUL), Edmonton (YEG), Halifax (YHZ), Winnipeg (YWG), and Quebec City (YQB)—operate US Customs and Border Protection preclearance facilities. Passengers cleared at these Canadian airports arrive at US airports through domestic-style terminals, avoiding international arrivals queues.

For US–Mexico travel, passports are required for US citizens (the passport card is sufficient for air travel to Mexico). No advance visa is required for US, Canadian, or most European citizens visiting Mexico as tourists; the tourist card (FMM) is issued on arrival or now digitally prior to landing. Cancun (CUN), Mexico City (MEX), Los Cabos (SJD), Puerto Vallarta (PVR), Guadalajara (GDL), and Monterrey (MTY) are the busiest Mexican airports for US travelers. Aeromexico, Volaris, and VivaAerobus operate extensive domestic Mexican networks connecting with US gateway cities.

US citizens traveling to Canada require a valid passport or NEXUS card. Canada has implemented an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) requirement for visa-exempt foreign nationals (excluding US citizens) arriving by air—similar in concept to ESTA. The eTA costs CAD 7 and is valid for five years or until the passport expires. Most applications are approved within minutes. Failure to obtain an eTA before departure can result in boarding denial.