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Aviation glossary

Point-to-point

Also: point-to-point network, point-to-point model, direct routes

Airlines and business

Network model in which an airline flies directly between the cities it serves, rather than funnelling connections through a central hub airport.

What it is

In a point-to-point network, every route has to pay its own way: the aircraft is filled with people travelling between those two cities, not with connecting passengers. Travellers avoid a change of plane, while the airline avoids hub congestion and can turn its aircraft round quickly, which is why the model suits many low-cost carriers.

Its limitation is that it only works where demand is strong enough. In practice many networks are mixed: low-cost carriers such as Southwest Airlines and Ryanair also sell connections at their larger bases, while traditional airlines fly direct services between major cities away from their hubs.

Longer-range single-aisle jets such as the A321LR have opened up long-haul point-to-point routes between mid-sized cities.

On Vuelopedia

Southwest Airlines Airbus A321

Related terms

Hub-and-spokeWay of organising an airline network in which most flights start or end at a central airport, where passengers change to reach their destination. HubAirport where an airline concentrates its flights and times its schedule so that passengers and cargo from many cities can connect with one another. Low-cost carrierAirline built around keeping costs down to sell cheap fares: a single aircraft type, high aircraft utilisation, one cabin class and extras charged separately. Narrow-bodyAirliner with a single cabin aisle and typically four to six seats per row; the most common type on short and medium-haul routes.
Whole glossary

Cite

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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Point-to-point. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/point-to-point

MLA

“Point-to-point.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/point-to-point. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Point-to-point.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/point-to-point.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Point-to-point. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/point-to-point (Accessed: 17 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_point_to_point,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Point-to-point}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/point-to-point},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/point-to-point}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-17},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-17}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/point-to-point |title=Point-to-point |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-17 |language=en}}

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