O&D Pair (Origin & Destination) — Origin and Destination

What Is an O&D Pair?

An Origin and Destination (O&D) pair identifies where a passenger's journey actually begins and ends — not the individual flight segments used to get there. A traveler flying from Istanbul to Auckland with a connection in Dubai has a single O&D pair, Istanbul–Auckland, even though the trip is flown as two separate flight segments on the schedule.

O&D Pair vs Segment vs Market

Why O&D Analysis Matters

Airlines, airports, and analysts favor O&D data over raw segment or flight counts because it reflects genuine underlying demand between two places. A busy segment can be inflated by connecting passengers headed elsewhere, while a strong O&D market may be served by no nonstop flight at all, relying entirely on connections.

Data Sources

O&D data is compiled from ticketing and reservation data — fare filings, GDS bookings, and airline traffic reporting — rather than from flight schedules alone, since schedules only show segments, not where a passenger's trip truly starts and ends.