Top 10 U.S. Airports With The Most Global Connections — See What Tops The List

London’s Heathrow Airport is, once again, the world’s most internationally connected airport, according to a new report.

That designation comes from global travel data provider OAG’s Megahubs Index 2023, which is compiled every year. 

OAG’s flight data platform contains a comprehensive airline schedule and global flight connections database. Its Megahubs Index is compiled by comparing the number of scheduled connections to and from international flights with the number of destinations served by each of the world’s 100 largest airports and the 100 largest international airports.

While news of Heathrow’s ranking stands to reason since the airport previously held that position in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic crimped international travel, what is surprising is that John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York is now the second most internationally connected airport. Remarkably, JFK was ranked number 18 in OAG’s Megahubs Index in 2019.

“With American Airlines and Delta Air Lines adding new destinations out of New York, along with Air Senegal, Air New Zealand, and others having launched or reopened previously served routes, it’s no surprise JFK exceeded expectations to climb to #2 in the world,” John Grant, chief analyst at OAG, said in a statement.

Top U.S. International Airport Megahubs 

The OAG Megahubs Index 2023 ranks the top 50 international airport megahubs. Interestingly, many of those international airports are located in the U.S.

Here are the top 10 U.S. airport megahubs with the highest number of possible global connections according to OAG’s Megahubs Index 2023.

1. John F. Kennedy International, New York
2. Chicago O’Hare International, Illinois
3. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Georgia
4. Newark Liberty International, New Jersey
5. Los Angeles International, California
6. Dallas Fort Worth International, Texas
7. Miami International, Florida
8. George Bush Intercontinental, Texas
9. Seattle–Tacoma International, Washington
10. San Francisco International, California

Domestic Air Travel In The U.S.

The U.S. is the world’s largest market for domestic air travel. With that in mind, OAG also analyzed U.S. airport megahubs to determine which ones have the highest ratio of possible scheduled connections to the number of destinations served by that airport.

Interestingly, Chicago O’Hare International ranked first. While Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International may be the world’s busiest airport, it had a lower ratio of possible scheduled connections to the number of destinations served by the airport — so it was ranked second by OAG.

Here are the top 10 U.S. domestic airport megahubs according to OAG.

1. Chicago O’Hare International, Illinois
2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Georgia
3. Denver International, Colorado
4. Dallas Fort Worth International, Texas
5. Charlotte Douglas International, North Carolina
6. Seattle–Tacoma International, Washington
7. Los Angeles International, California
8. Harry Reid International Airport, Nevada
9. Detroit Metropolitan, Michigan
10. George Bush Intercontinental, Texas