American Airlines Hub Maps, 2002: London

London has been American's pride of network since before it purchased TWA's Heathrow rights a decade before. This map is a bit deceptive, in that it shows a completely random spread of cities beyond Britain which have never been served by American, but seem to be OneWorld connections with British Airways or Gulf Air, from Teeside to Doha, Leeds to Muscat.

At the right are the US cities graced with a flagship nonstop, all of which enjoy the same privilege today, including Raleigh-Durham and the other complex hubs previously discussed. However, what is also deceiving about this graphic is that it does not specify which cities were crowned with Heathrow rights under Bermuda II rules and which had to shuffle into lowly Gatwick.

American Airlines Hub Maps, 2002

Continuing with yesterday's dull, monochrome presentations from a US carrier, here we have a surprisingly unique and interesting graphical explanation of American Airlines's massive system. Shown here are non-stops from its hubs (or connecting complexes, as it calls them here) and its focus cities, such as Boston, which features year-round service to Gatwick and CDG. Note the service to Stockholm, which didn't last. American has yet to direct away from its cubicle-farm aesthetic, yet it must be given small credit for spatial arrangement with which it articulates the network.

Following posts will focus on each sub-networks web of destinations.