1.   Airfares to hubs are often higher than fares that route through hub cities, Parsons explains.

2.   Airlines tend to offer the most specials from their hub cities.

3.   But critics question whether there will be any savings, saying that in all likelihood, more jail space will be needed in the hub cities.

4.   Coupled with the major airlines offering a bank of flights to their hub cities, KCI has steadily grown the past five years.

5.   Major airlines such as American, Northwest and United fly only to their hub cities from KCI, but that also has helped create a balance, McKenna said.

6.   Operations are centralized in strategic hub cities that encourage the most connecting flights or spokes.

7.   Supervisors in the hub cities will coordinate assignments.

8.   That led some airlines to cut flights at crowded hub cities.

9.   The safety board contends that the commuter lines have evolved into big operations feeding passengers to the hub cities and that the current regulations are outdated.

10.   To find the cheapest airline seats, plan to fly to hub cities like Denver and Salt Lake City, which are served by many carriers.