What Is An Airport 'Hub Attack' And Can You Use One To Score A Cheap Airfare Deal?

An airport hub attack isn't as dangerous as it sounds — it's actually a good thing. Well, at least for consumers. Hub attacks happen when airlines target other companies' hubs by offering cheap flights in and out of that airport. While it sounds like a strange sales tactic, it has a profound effect on airfare.

Each airline has hubs, or central airports used to concentrate passenger traffic. Let's say you want to travel between two smaller cities like Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Charleston, West Virginia. Not many passengers fly this route, so you'd be hard-pressed to find a direct flight. Instead, this flight will likely have a layover in a hub like Chicago. Since Chicago is a large airport with many connecting flights, everyone arriving from Green Bay can transfer easily. Each airline has these designated hubs, and this hub-and-spoke system allows airports to serve more passengers more efficiently. United Airlines's primary hub is Chicago O'Hare, while Delta's primary hub is Atlanta. But if Delta wanted to swoop in and steal business from United, they'd perform a hub attack by offering cheap flights in and out of Chicago O'Hare.

When an airline performs a hub attack, the affected carrier may lower prices even further to retain business, ultimately leading to a fare war. While it isn't ideal for the attacked airline, it benefits consumers. Hub attacks and fare wars mean cheaper flights, so if you're looking to score a great deal, use these airport hub attacks to your advantage.

Flights are getting more and more expensive over time, so if you're looking for ways to save, hub attacks are the answer. After all, when two airlines compete for your business, you win! So how do you know when hub attacks will occur? You don't. They can happen at any time and can last for hours or days. However, price alerts can keep you informed.

Use your preferred flight comparison site and select your departure and arrival airports, the time, and the day. Instead of purchasing tickets immediately, set up a price alert. On search engines like Kayak and Skyscanner, this is as easy as clicking the "get price alerts" button. On Google Flights, you'll need to go into your Flights Settings and activate the "price alerts" tab. From there, you can expect notifications if and when prices change.

Tuesday is considered the best day to book flights, but truthfully, the best day may be whichever is experiencing an airport hub attack. And if you notice a significant drop in fares, we wouldn't waste time, because capitalizing on airport hub attacks is one of the best ways to save money while booking flights. Combined with credit card points and advanced booking, you just might snag an absolute steal.