There are few things that have influenced the National Airspace System (NAS) as much as the implementation of the "hub and spoke" system the major airlines developed decades ago. Depending on which side your bread is buttered, it's the best thing that ever happened or it's the worst thing to ever happen. There's not much arguing that it's been successful for a few major airlines. But as I'm fond of pointing out to folks, the major airlines aren't the only users of the NAS.The concept of the hub is alive (if not particularly well) right in my backyard at Atlanta Hartsfield International (ATL). Since I was a kid, there's been a saying in the South: "When you die and go to heaven, you'll probably have to change planes in Atlanta." As anyone who flies in the South will tell you, that saying is all too true. Obviously, the concept has worked for Delta and for Atlanta. I don't think it worked so well for the folks that used to work at Eastern though.Before I spark another debate on deregulation -- the dubious benefits of corporate raiders and junk bonds -- let me see if I can steer you toward thinking about the effect hubs have had on ATC. I'll try to stick to how that translates into the effect that it has on you, the pilot.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/features/say-again-19atc-302-the-hub