Whether you’re traveling for business or leisure, I understand that many people want to get to destinations quickly and prefer nonstop flights. In the previous post, I talked about nonstop flights (link below), specifically how airlines decide on routes, and how you would come across nonstop flights and the airlines operating them.
However, not every city pair that you wish to travel will have nonstop flight (unless you own or fly private jet). If you want to fly for example from Miami, United States to Osaka, Japan, from Helsinki, Finland to Cairo, Egypt, or from Sydney, Australia to Sao Paulo, Brazil, you have no choice but to take connecting flights due to lack of nonstop flights between these city pairs (as of January 2025).
Connecting Flights Guide
Around the world, there are key hubs when it comes to connecting flights. Let me divide this section into the key hubs and the main origin/destination combinations.
Via Middle East*
*For the purpose of this article, I’m including Turkey into Middle East
| Airline | Airport (Airport Code) – City, Country |
|---|---|
| Emirates | Dubai International Airport (DXB) – Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Etihad Airways | Zayed International Airport (AUH) – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
| Qatar Airways | Hamad International Airport (DOH) – Doha, Qatar |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul Airport (IST) – Istanbul, Turkey |
By far the most prominent connecting options are via Istanbul, Turkey on Turkish Airlines, and via Middle East on Emirates, Etihad Airways, or Qatar Airways.
Flying via Middle East/Turkey makes sense for the following routings:
- Europe – Middle East – East/South East/South Asia
- Europe – Middle East – Australia/New Zealand
- Africa – Middle East – East/South East/South Asia
- North/Central America – Middle East – Africa
- Central/South America – Middle East – East/South East/South Asia
Via Europe
Europe is another major connecting region, with strong colonial ties influencing airline routes. Airlines such as Iberia dominate South American routes, while Air France has an extensive African network.
| Airline | Airport (Airport Code) – City, Country |
|---|---|
| Air France | Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) – Paris, France |
| Austrian Airlines | Vienna Airport (VIE) – Vienna, Austria |
| British Airways | London Heathrow Airport (LHR) – London, United Kingdom |
| Brussels Airlines | Brussels Airport (BRU) – Brussels, Belgium |
| Finnair | Helsinki Vantaa Airport (HEL) – Helsinki, Finland |
| Iberia | Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) – Madrid, Spain |
| KLM Royal Dutch Airlines | Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) – Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| LOT Polish Airlines | Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) – Warsaw, Poland |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt Airport (FRA) – Frankfurt, Germany Munich Airport (MUC) – Munich, Germany |
| Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) | Copenhagen Airport (CPH) – Copenhagen, Denmark Oslo Airport (OSL) – Oslo, Norway Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) – Stockholm, Sweden |
| Swiss International Airlines | Zurich Airport (ZRH) – Zurich, Switzerland |
| TAP Air Portugal | Lisbon Airport (LIS) – Lisbon, Portugal |
| Virgin Atlantic | London Heathrow Airport (LHR) – London, United Kingdom |
Flying via Europe makes sense for the following routings:
- Africa – Europe – East Asia
- North/Central America – Europe – Middle East
- Central/South America – Europe – East/South East/South Asia
Via North America
| Airline | Airport (Airport Code) – City, Country |
|---|---|
| Air Canada | Montreal Trudeau International Airport (YUL) – Montreal, Canada Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – Toronto, Canada Vancouver International Airport (YVR) – Vancouver, Canada |
| American Airlines | Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) – Dallas, Texas, USA Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) – Charlotte, North Carolina, USA Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) – Chicago, Illinois, USA Miami International Airport (MIA) – Miami, Florida, USA Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) – Phoenix, Arizona, USA Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – Los Angeles, California, USA New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) – Queens, New York, USA |
| Delta Air Lines | Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) – Atlanta, Georgia, USA Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) – Detroit, Michigan, USA Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) – Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) – Queens, New York, USA Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) – Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) – Boston, Massachusetts, USA Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – Los Angeles, California, USA Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) – Seattle, Washington, USA |
| United Airlines | Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) – Chicago, Illinois, USA Denver International Airport (DEN) – Denver, Colorado, USA Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) – Houston, Texas, USA Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) – Newark, New Jersey, USA San Francisco International Airport (SFO) – San Francisco, California, USA Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) – Dulles, Virginia, USA Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – Los Angeles, California, USA |
Compared to flying via Middle East or Europe, flying via North America is limited. Frankly, there are so many options to fly between Europe and Australia/New Zealand that I’m not sure how many people would opt to do these trips via North America.
As for flying between Asia and Central/South America, it makes sense especially given the high connectivity within the Americas. However again, it’s also possible to fly between Asia and Central/South America via Middle East.
Flying via North America makes sense for the following routings:
- Australia/New Zealand – North America – Europe
- East/South East/South Asia – North America – Central/South America
Via Australia/New Zealand
| Airline | Airport (Airport Code) – City, Country |
|---|---|
| Air New Zealand | Auckland Airport (AKL) – Auckland, New Zealand |
| Qantas | Brisbane Airport (BNE) – Brisbane, Australia Melbourne Airport (MEL) – Melbourne, Australia Perth Airport (PER) – Perth, Australia Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) – Sydney, Australia |
Flying via Australia/New Zealand is a rare case to be honest, because of the limited connectivity in the Southern Hemisphere especially around South Pole. Off the top of my head I can think of Qantas service between Sydney, Australia and Johannesburg, South Africa, and LATAM service between Auckland, New Zealand and Santiago, Chile being some of the notable routes in this part of the world.
Flying via Australia/New Zealand makes sense for the following routings:
- East/South East Asia – Australia/New Zealand – Africa
- East/South East Asia – Australia/New Zealand – South America
Via Asia
| Airline | Airport (Airport Code) – City, Country |
|---|---|
| Air China | Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) – Beijing, China Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) – Beijing, China |
| All Nippon Airways (ANA) | Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) – Tokyo, Japan Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) – Tokyo, Japan |
| Cathay Pacific | Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) – Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong |
| China Airlines | Taipei Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) – Taipei, Taiwan |
| China Eastern Airlines | Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) – Shanghai, China |
| China Southern Airlines | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) – Guangzhou, China Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) – Beijing, China |
| EVA Air | Taipei Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) – Taipei, Taiwan |
| Japan Airlines (JAL) | Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) – Tokyo, Japan Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) – Tokyo, Japan |
| Korean Air | Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) – Seoul, South Korea |
| Malaysia Airlines | Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Philippine Airlines | Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) – Manila, Philippines |
| Singapore Airlines | Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) – Changi, Singapore |
| Thai Airways International | Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) – Bankgok, Thailand |
| Vietnam Airlines | Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) – Hanoi, Vietnam Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam |
Nowadays there are a lot of direct flights between North America and Australia/New Zealand but flying via Asia is still an option. But where Asian airlines shine more is tapping into the traffic between Europe and Australia/New Zealand. The high standard services of Asian airlines appeal to travelers as an alternative to European or Middle Eastern airlines.
Flying via Asia makes sense for the following routings:
- North America – East/South East/South Asia – Australia/New Zealand
- Europe – East/South East Asia – Australia/New Zealand
Closing Thoughts
There are of course further permutations, particularly regarding connecting within each regions, such as departing from South/South East Asia, connecting in East Asia, and travelling to North America.
While nonstop flights are ideal, they’re not always available for every route. Thankfully, global airline hubs offer extensive options for connecting flights, making long-haul travel more accessible. Whether you’re flying via the Middle East, Europe, North America, Asia, or Australia/New Zealand, each region has well-established airlines and airports that facilitate smooth connections.
Understanding these key transit points can help you plan more efficient and comfortable itineraries, whether for business or leisure. If you’re strategic about layovers and airline alliances, you can even turn a necessary connection into an opportunity—perhaps with a short city exploration or even a stopover, partially paid for by the airline.
What are your go-to hubs for connecting flights? Share your experiences in the comments!