Delta Air Lines has made New York City one of its key global gateways and hubs. However, this hub spans two unique airports: LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). While both serve New York City, the two hubs take remarkably different roles in the Delta network.

Delta's LaGuardia network

Looking at data in Cirium, in January, Delta Air Lines has scheduled flights to the following destinations out of LaGuardia:

Delta's LaGuardia network is heavily weighted toward short-haul operations. This is because of the perimeter rule that limits operations out of LaGuardia six days per week. Denver is grandfathered in, but on Saturdays, airlines can operate flights beyond the perimeter. Delta, however, does not offer such flights out of LaGuardia.

Delta's top routes by departures out of LaGuardia are:

1. Atlanta (ATL) with 400 scheduled departures in January
2. Boston (BOS) with 400 scheduled departures
3. Chicago (ORD) with 263 scheduled departures
4. Washington D.C. (DCA) with 241 scheduled departures
5. Raleigh (RDU) with 193 scheduled departures
6. Pittsburgh (PIT) with 187 scheduled departures
7. Toronto (YYZ) with 185 scheduled departures
8. Charlotte (CLT) with 184 scheduled departures
9. Detroit (DTW) with 176 scheduled departures
10. Cincinnati (CVG) with 162 scheduled departures

By seat count, Delta's top-ten routes are:

1. Atlanta (ATL) with 76,400 seats
2. Boston (BOS) with 35,882 seats
3. Chicago (ORD) with 33,465 seats
4. Detroit (DTW) with 27,916 seats
5. Minneapolis (MSP) with 23,747 seats
6. Orlando (MCO) with 23,493 seats
7. Fort Lauderdale (FLL) with 22,894 seats
8. Miami (MIA) with 22,295 seats
9. Tampa (TPA) with 18,887 seats
10. Washington D.C. (DCA) with 17,784 seats

It is not surprising to see a difference in terms of top ten routes by seats and departures. Many of the routes with the most departures are operated by regional aircraft, while Delta has been flying mainline aircraft to larger destinations - especially to its other hubs. The CRJ900, in January, is scheduled to fly nearly 45% of departures, while the E175 comes in second place with 18.5%. In third place is the Airbus A321ceo, with 13% of LGA departures.

Delta's JFK network

Delta's other New York hub at JFK has over 5,000 flights scheduled in January to the following destinations:

As you can see from the above maps, Delta's JFK operations are geared more toward the medium- and long-haul network in January. By the summer, Delta's network will grow to include more long-haul seasonal routes to Europe, but nevertheless, JFK is the clear winner from the perspective of long-haul and medium-haul operations out of New York.

By departures out of JFK, Delta's top routes are:

1. Los Angeles (LAX) with 223 scheduled departures in January
2. Atlanta (ATL) with 185 scheduled departures
3. Boston (BOS) with 181 scheduled departures
4. Raleigh (RDU) with 150 scheduled departures
5. Charlotte (CLT) with 145 scheduled departures
6. San Francisco (SFO) with 127 scheduled departures
7. Orlando (MCO) with 124 scheduled departures
8. Detroit (DTW) with 123 scheduled departures
9. Miami (MIA) with 123 scheduled departures
10. Chicago (ORD) with 123 scheduled departures

By seat count, Delta's top routes out of JFK are:

1. Los Angeles (LAX) with 51,528 seats
2. Atlanta (ATL) with 35,080 seats
3. San Francisco (SFO) with 27,526 seats
4. Las Vegas (LAS) with 24,754 seats
5. Orlando (MCO) with 23,653 seats
6. Miami (MIA) with 23,245 seats
7. Fort Lauderdale (FLL) with 22,729 seats
8. Salt Lake City (SLC) with 21,436 seats
9. Seattle (SEA) with 18,579 seats
10. Paris (CDG) with 17,486 seats

Stay informed: Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests.

Analyzing Delta's New York hub

Atlanta reigns big from both airports, though that is not necessarily a function of demand between Atlanta and New York. While there is plenty of demand, the larger majority of both of those flights run to support connections through Atlanta, which is Delta's largest hub.

It is interesting to see how the two hubs complement each other. Delta's JFK short-haul network is much more limited than out of LaGuardia, and much of that has to do with how Delta has positioned both hubs.

It is best to think of both hubs working for Delta in the New York ecosystem. Think of it from the perspective of a New York-based traveler. Customers from Manhattan, for example, looking to go on a business trip within the country to a place like Birmingham are more likely to choose LaGuardia for that trip. Though, for a flight to Paris, JFK fits the bill.

The New York hubs primarily cater to the New York traveler. So, out of JFK, Delta does not need to offer the same destinations that it offers out of LaGuardia because, to its New York travelers, it already does. With JFK focused on the international and longer-haul operations for New Yorkers, it does not need to build a connecting hub in the way it has built up Atlanta.