For decades, the hub-and-spoke model defined commercial aviation. Airlines funnelled passengers through massive central airports — Dallas, Dubai, Singapore — before routing them onward. It worked for carriers, but cost passengers time. A quiet revolution in fleet range is changing the equation.
Range Changed the Equation
When the 787 entered service, it opened routes previously deemed uneconomic. A mid-size wide-body crossing 14,000 kilometres with 250 passengers meant airlines no longer needed a jumbo to justify direct service. Perth to London became profitable. So did Brisbane to Chicago.
The 787 didn’t just change fleet planning — it changed how passengers think about connecting. Once you’ve flown non-stop for fourteen hours, a layover in a congested hub feels like a relic.