Routes

Routes: Find Every Airline That Flies Your Route, and the Miles to Book It

Every award booking starts with one question: who actually flies there?

Before you can figure out how many miles a trip costs, you need to know which airlines fly it. Not just the one you always fly, but every carrier on the route, nonstop or with a connection. That list decides which loyalty programs can book the seat, and which of your transferable points are worth anything for this trip.

Routes answers that question for 4,000+ airports, 600+ airlines and 59,000+ routes. Pick two airports and you'll see every airline flying nonstop, the sensible one-stop and two-stop connections, and the points programs that can book each one. Then one click takes you to the Award Flight Pricer to see how many miles each option costs.

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Looking for a FlightConnections alternative built for points?

FlightConnections is a great flight route map, and plenty of travelers use it to see where airlines fly. But it was built for flight planning, not for points. As NerdWallet puts it in its review, you can search by airline alliance, but you can't search by loyalty program. And it won't tell you what a route costs in miles.

Routes was built for award travel from day one:

If you're trying to turn points into a seat, Routes skips the step where you cross-check a route map against a dozen award charts by hand.

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How to use Routes

1. Enter where you're flying from and to. Search by city, airport name or code. Results show every nonstop airline first, then connections grouped by number of stops.

2. Leave "To" empty to explore. Enter only your home airport and the map lights up with every nonstop destination. Click any destination to see the airlines and connections to get there. It's the fastest way to answer "where can I fly nonstop from here?"

3. Hover a result to see it on the map. Each route is drawn as a great-circle line, the path the plane actually flies, so you can spot connections that backtrack at a glance.

4. Narrow it down with filters. Limit to one alliance, specific airlines, a single airline for the whole trip, or (with Pro) only the routes a specific points program can book.

5. Click "See award prices." This opens the Award Flight Pricer for the same city pair, so you can compare the miles cost across every program that can book it.

Tip: Searches are saved in the URL. Bookmark a route or send the link to a travel partner and they'll see exactly the same results and filters.

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Nonstop, 1-stop and 2-stop: how connections work

Nonstop routes come straight from airline route data: if an airline flies between two airports, it shows up. Pro members also see each flight's distance and typical flight time.

Connections are built by linking real routes through a third airport. A 1-stop result from New York to Tokyo might be JFK to Toronto on one airline, then Toronto to Tokyo on another. Routes shows these mixed-airline connections because they're real ways to get there. But mixing airlines matters a lot for award travel, which is why there's a "Same airline the whole way" filter.

To keep results useful, Routes drops connections that go far out of the way. A 1-stop or 2-stop routing only appears if its total distance stays reasonably close to the direct distance. Two-stop connections also have to go through real hubs, so you won't see a chain of regional hops that no one would actually book.

Why this matters for points: You can usually only combine airlines on one award ticket if they're partners of the program you're booking with, which typically means the same alliance or a direct partnership. A cheap-looking connection on two unrelated airlines may need two separate award tickets, two sets of taxes, and no protection if you miss the connection.

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Worked example: New York (JFK) to Tokyo (HND)

Search JFK to Tokyo Haneda and Routes shows three airlines flying nonstop: Japan Airlines, ANA and American Airlines. It's about 10,900 km and roughly 14 hours 25 minutes in the air.

Three airlines sounds simple. But those three airlines can be booked through more than 20 different loyalty programs, and the price for a business class seat varies enormously:

The same nonstop flight costs anywhere from 50,000 to 142,500 miles depending on which program you use and when you fly. That gap is the whole reason to check who flies a route before you transfer a single point.

Prices from the AwardHack Award Flight Pricer as of October 2026. Award charts change, so always check current pricing and confirm award availability before transferring points.

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Why route data is the first step of every award booking

Points don't buy routes. They buy seats on airlines. So the practical question is never "can I use my points to get to Tokyo?" It's "which airlines fly to Tokyo, and which programs can book them?"

This is where alliances and partnerships come in. Most major airlines belong to one of three alliances (Star Alliance, SkyTeam or oneworld), and members' loyalty programs can generally book each other's flights. Many airlines also have one-off partnerships outside their alliance.

Here's a sample of which programs can book some of the world's most popular airlines:

Notice how often the same few programs show up. That's why flexible bank points (Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One and Bilt) are so valuable: they transfer to many of these programs. Use the Partner Transfer Tool to see which of your points reach which program, and check current transfer bonuses before you move anything.

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Every filter, explained

The Bookable with filter is the one most route maps don't have. Pick a program, say Air Canada Aeroplan, and Routes only shows itineraries where every single flight is on an airline Aeroplan can book. That's the list of trips you can actually turn into one award ticket.

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Route facts: what 59,000+ routes tell us

Routes is built on a dataset of 59,291 one-way routes between 4,038 airports in 239 countries and territories, flown by 603 airlines. A few things stand out.

The world's best-connected airports

Ranked by the number of airports you can reach nonstop:

Istanbul's lead is no accident. It's Turkish Airlines' hub, and Turkish famously flies to more countries than any other airline. For award travelers, that makes Istanbul one of the most useful connection points in Star Alliance.

Airports served by the most airlines

Bangkok (BKK) leads with 120 airlines, followed by Paris (CDG, 116), Rome (FCO, 100), Istanbul (IST, 96), and Dubai and Frankfurt (90 each). More airlines at an airport usually means more partner options and more ways to book an award seat there.

The longest nonstop flights

Ultra-long-haul flights like these are some of the most valuable award redemptions out there, especially in business class, because the alternative is a long connection.

Airlines with the most routes

Ryanair flies more routes than anyone, with 5,125, followed by American Airlines (2,753), easyJet (2,580), United (2,230), Delta (2,166) and Southwest (2,093). Low-cost carriers dominate the top of the list, and most of them aren't bookable with miles from other programs. That's another reason to filter by alliance or program when you're planning an award trip.

Most routes have only one airline

About 68% of routes are flown by a single airline. If that airline isn't a partner of any program you hold points in, the route is effectively off the table for an award ticket, and you'll need a connection instead. This is exactly the situation where 1-stop results and the Bookable with filter earn their keep.

How much of the network the alliances cover

Alliance members fly fewer routes than you might expect, since budget and regional airlines fly most of the world's routes. But alliance airlines operate a large share of long-haul and premium cabin flights, which is where points deliver the most value.

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Tips for planning award trips with route data

Position to a partner hub. If your home airport has no nonstop on a partner airline, explore from a nearby hub instead. A cheap domestic flight to a hub like Chicago, Dallas or Newark can open up dozens of nonstop partner options overseas.

Use connections as stopovers. Some programs allow a free or cheap stopover on an award ticket. A 1-stop route through Istanbul, Doha or Tokyo can double as a few days in a second city.

Search each airport in a multi-airport city. New York (JFK and EWR), Tokyo (HND and NRT) and London (LHR and LGW) each have different airlines and routes. JFK to Haneda has three nonstop airlines, while JFK to Narita has none in our data, so it pays to check both.

Check distance for distance-based award charts. Programs like British Airways Avios price partner awards by flight distance, so a slightly shorter routing can drop you into a cheaper band. The Flight Distance Calculator helps here.

Confirm award space before you transfer. Points transfers are almost always instant and irreversible. Find your route here, check pricing in the Award Flight Pricer, then confirm actual award seats with the airline before moving points. Our Award Booking Guide shows when each program releases award seats.

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What Routes doesn't show

Being clear about limits saves you from surprises:

• No schedules or frequencies. Routes shows that an airline flies a route, not what days or times. Some routes are seasonal or operate only a few times a week.
• No cash fares or live award availability. Use the Award Flight Pricer for miles pricing, then check the airline for open award seats.
• Route data is refreshed monthly. New routes and cancellations can take a few weeks to appear. Always confirm with the airline before booking.

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Frequently asked questions

Which airlines fly nonstop between two airports?

Enter both airports in Routes and the nonstop results at the top list every airline flying the route. For example, Japan Airlines, ANA and American Airlines all fly nonstop from New York (JFK) to Tokyo (HND).

How do I find all direct flights from an airport?

Enter the airport in "From" and leave "To" empty. Routes shows every nonstop destination from that airport on a map and in a list, along with the airlines that fly each one.

Is there a free FlightConnections alternative?

Yes. Routes by AwardHack is free to use for nonstop and 1-stop routes, airline and alliance filters, and exploring destinations from any airport. Unlike FlightConnections, it also shows which loyalty programs can book each route and links straight to the miles cost.

Can I see which airline alliance flies a route?

Yes. Use the Alliance filter to show only routes where every flight is on a Star Alliance, SkyTeam or oneworld member. The filter is free.

How do I know which points program can book a flight?

AwardHack Pro adds a "Bookable with" filter and shows, for every route, the loyalty programs that can book every flight on it. To compare how many miles each program charges, click "See award prices" to open the Award Flight Pricer.

Does Routes show flight schedules?

No. Routes shows which airlines fly a route (and, with Pro, the distance and typical flight time), but not specific departure times or operating days. Check the airline's website for schedules.

How often is route data updated?

Route data is refreshed monthly, covering 59,000+ routes across 4,000+ airports and 600+ airlines.

What is the longest nonstop flight in the world?

In our data, the longest nonstop route is New York (JFK) to Singapore on Singapore Airlines, at about 15,347 km. Newark (EWR) to Singapore is a close second at 15,343 km.

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The bottom line

Knowing who flies a route is the step most travelers skip, and it's the one that decides how many miles they spend. Routes shows every airline on the route, every sensible connection and every program that can book it in one place. Then the Award Flight Pricer tells you which option costs the fewest miles.