How to Use FlightConnections Like a Pro

Continuing our series on some of the key tools I use when searching for awards and planning trips, today let’s focus on an important tool in every frequent flyer’s arsenal: FlightConnections.com.

As you look to leverage loyalty programs to their maximum value, there is one key question that you’ll find yourself asking over and over again: “Which airlines fly where?”

FlightConnections sets out to answer this question in an easily digestible fashion, helping you visualize, at a glance, the routing possibilities at hand for your dream trip.

FlightConnections Features & Pricing

FlightConnections is available in both free and paid versions. The free version has most of the basic features that you’ll want to use, and it’ll probably be enough for most users.

However, the paid version offers a few useful features of its own, such as numerous filters, a full-screen map view, flight schedules, a faster experience, and no advertisements. 

The Premium service is marketed as €2.99 per month, but is billed annually at €35.88 for the year:

1. Find All Direct Flights from Your Airport

The power of FlightConnections lies in its comprehensive database of all of the world’s airlines, airports, and scheduled flights, which is diligently updated on a regular basis.

When you first load up the website, you’re presented with a world map full of dots, each representing an airport somewhere in the world. 

The dots are colour-coded based on their relative size and prominence within the global route network: blue dots denote large airports with over 30 direct destinations, yellow dots denote medium-sized airports with 7–30 direct destinations, and red dots denote small airports with less than seven direct destinations.

By clicking on any of the dots, or entering your desired airport in the “From” box at the top, you’ll be able to access FlightConnections’s first key piece of information: which direct flights are currently serving your chosen airport. 

For example, someone from Edmonton who’s curious which direct flights they could take for their next vacation would be presented with the following:

Looking at this map, we can see plenty of options for direct flights within North America, including the…