Quote: "The reason is that the global networks are built on the hub and spoke model. Longhaul airlines need shorthaul feed and that includes domestic. Connecting passengers don’t want to trek from one airport to another, they will fly to a foreign hub and make their connection there.
A couple of exceptions are Washington National and New York La Guardia, where there are statutory limitations on the nonstop distance that can be flown from them, which rules out international flights.
Many airports of course have separate terminals for domestic and international flights. Domestic doesn’t need all the infrastructure elements such as passport control and duty-free."
DCA and LGA are additional domestic-only in addition to other airports in Washington (IAD and BWI) and New York (JFK and EWR) that are both domestic and international. This is because of the very large amount of domestic air travel in the USA.
It's not a pure split in the way of Tokyo (NRT and HND) or Montreal (YUL and YMQ) neither of which worked. In Tokyo both airports now do both
international and domestic and in Montreal, YUL does it all and YMQ does freight only.
Last edited by Fairdealfrank; 3rd April 2013 at 23:14.