Central, West corridors top U.S. freight in H1 2025

Domestic flow data for the second quarter of 2025 shows a shift in where the real freight momentum is forming for major U.S. airlines, and the latest earnings confirm that the carriers leaning into those corridors are the ones seeing the clearest cargo upside. Core lanes shift Domestic regional freight patterns from Q1 to Q2 for the U.S. majors show directional shifts rather than uniform or evenly distributed changes. The strongest movements concentrate along the Pacific-facing and Central U.S. corridors, where industrial demand, import-driven volumes and redistribution flows remain most active. The combined flow view in Table 1 shows these patterns at the system level, independent of individual airline strategies, and show a domestic freight structure in which West- and Central-linked lanes account for most of the quarter’s positive tonnage growth. Table 1 – Major US Airline Domestic Freight Flows Q1 vs Q2 2025

As seen in Table 1, West-to-West remains the largest domestic regional flow by a wide margin. Q1 was 46,376 tonnes and Q2 was 51,867 tonnes, an 11.8% increase that reflects sustained pull into West Coast distribution nodes. West-to-Central grew by 11.5% and Central-to-West grew 4.5%, indicating stable bidirectional movement between the West’s import-heavy markets and the Central region’s consumption and redistribution centers.

The East-linked lanes show a different pattern. East-to-West declined 19.8% and West-to-East declined 25%, consistent with weaker long-haul flows involving the East. East-to-Central increased 16.8%, but the absolute tonnage remains smaller relative to the Western and Central lanes. The imbalance aligns with established structural roles: The West receives the highest concentration of inbound goods and the Central region manages much of the domestic redistribution. The second quarter of 2025 follows those same mechanics, with the strongest throughput running West inbound and Central outbound. American consolidates gains Table 2 identifies where the corridor pattern translates directly into airline pattern. American Airlines posted strong Q2 performance tied to the same two core zones that stabilized the U.S. domestic flow distribution at system level. At headline level, American reported record quarterly revenue of $14.4 billion and positive earnings, but the interesting signal for this analysis is cargo. American generated $211 million in cargo revenue in Q2 , an 8.2% increase year over year, and about $570 million year to date, even though first-half cargo revenue is still materially below the prior-year level. Table 2 – American and Delta Airlines Domestic Freight Flows Q1 vs Q2 2025

American saw strong growth on its core interior corridors, with Central-to-Central up 129.8% and Central-to-West up 55%, reflecting a Q2 shift of capacity into interior hubs where short-stage industrial and contract demand was strongest. East-to-East also rose 37.1%, consistent with intra-regional consolidation in its eastern metros.

All East-linked directional lanes declined — East-to-West down 22.4%, West-to-East down 31.7% and Central-to-East down 35.1% — indicating reduced belly allocation into weaker corridors and a deliberate concentration of lift into the most stable, high-throughput regions. Delta Air Lines’ pattern in Table 2 is weaker because it registered declines in the same areas that American saw weakness, but without the offsetting gains on the core lanes. Delta posted a 35.1% decline on Central-to-West and a 14.5% drop on East-to-West, indicating reduced allocation of lift into the corridors that carried most of the system-level strength in Q2. Unlike American, Delta did not maintain a strong presence in the Central region, and the lack of a stable Central-anchored flow limited its ability to capture the quarter’s positive freight movement. At the corporate level, Delta reported $212 million in Q2 cargo revenue , up 6% to 7% year over year, but the increase was concentrated in international and premium-supported segments rather than domestic flows. The domestic freight distribution in the data shows fewer advantages for Delta in the West- and Central-linked lanes that defined the quarter. American’s freight exposure aligned with the strongest corridors. Delta’s did not. Freighters change math The third component of the Q1-Q2 pattern is that not all major U.S. airlines in this dataset operate solely as belly carriers. Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines utilize dedicated freighters, which creates different directional behavior in the data. Freighter networks can adjust lift toward narrow but high-demand lanes without the passenger constraints that shape belly capacity. The volume changes in Table 3 reflect this. Alaska Air Group, including Hawaiian, reported $136 million to $ 139 million in Q2 cargo revenue , up about one-third year over year and nearly double the pre-merger baseline, and management identified cargo as a growing diversification segment. Table 3 – Alaska + Hawaiian and United Airlines Domestic Freight Flows Q1 vs Q2 2025

In Table 3, Alaska and Hawaiian grew Central-to-East by 111.6%, Central-to-West by 12%, West-to-Central by 32.1% and West-to-West by 18.2%. The 199.2% jump on East-to-Central shows clear directional flexibility, with freighter capacity shifting toward lanes with concentrated demand. The fleet mix supports this: Alaska’s ten A330 freighters under an e-commerce contract provide far more lift than narrowbody passenger aircraft, allowing targeted deployment. The 71.7% drop on East-to-West reflects the broader weakness in East-linked flows. United Airlines , by contrast, shows mostly negative domestic Q2 movements in the same areas, including declines of 41.3% on Central-to-East, 23.8% on Central-to-West and 19% on West-to-East. United still reported $430 million in Q2 cargo revenue , up 3.8%year over year, but much of that volume came from international operations rather than domestic flows. The distinction is structural: freighter operators have greater directional control and do not rely on passenger schedules to maintain frequency. In a quarter defined by strong West- and Central-linked movements and weaker East-linked flows, the carriers with dedicated freighters had the most ability to match their networks to the lanes with the highest throughput. 2025 favors structure The Q1-Q2 2025 data shows structural, not temporary, patterns in the domestic freight network. The West remains the main entry point for import-driven volumes, the Central region is the core redistribution and industrial hub and the East continues to lag when discretionary demand softens. Cargo revenue performance among the U.S. majors reflects this. Alaska and Hawaiian, supported by freighters and directional flexibility, posted the strongest gains. American benefited by keeping meaningful lift in the Central and West corridors. Delta and United grew cargo revenue year over year, but their domestic flows were less aligned with the lanes that expanded in Q2 and were driven more by international business. Overall, domestic performance in early 2025 is best explained by structural positioning. Carriers without freighters depend on exposure to the strongest corridors, while freighter operators can shift capacity toward emerging demand. Q2 results reaffirm a consistent pattern: Central and West flows drove the system, the East underperformed and directional flexibility was the main competitive advantage.

Central, West corridors top U.S. freight in H1 2025

Cargo Facts engine webinar features MTU, Xtreme, GA Telesis

Airbus seeks concurrent A350F approvals from FAA, EASA

Related Posts

May freighter capacity extends April’s higher operating level

Pressure eases, rates hold firm

From production to P2F: the next decade for ATR

Airbus seeks concurrent A350F approvals from FAA, EASA

Stay informed with our newsletters

Cargo Facts Connect Podcast

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Retrieve your password