This airline is notorious for charging fees. I'm glad we don't have to deal with them in OKC. This is the latest:

http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/spirit-blames-new-dot-rules-for-yet-another-fee.html

I'm thinking that the DOT may not take too kindly to this.

Don't have to deal with them...yet. LOL

Granted they are great for markets that are very price sensitive offering air travel to people that don't normally fly. However everything is a la carte. Granted they also make money which is a good thing too.

They could probably do well in OKC and actually make Florida work. Of course there is also the conspiracy theorist in me that has a feeling we could see a Frontier / Spirit tie up at some point. Dave Siegel is in charge of Frontier now, as they prepare to be spun off from Republic, and Spirit's CEO - Ben Baldennza (sp?) - worked under Siegel at US Airways. He was the brain child for the Fort Lauderdale focus city at US Airways before they were ran out and he took the concept to Spirit and made it work.

Don't have to deal with them...yet. LOL

Granted they are great for markets that are very price sensitive offering air travel to people that don't normally fly. However everything is a la carte. Granted they also make money which is a good thing too.

They could probably do well in OKC and actually make Florida work. Of course there is also the conspiracy theorist in me that has a feeling we could see a Frontier / Spirit tie up at some point. Dave Siegel is in charge of Frontier now, as they prepare to be spun off from Republic, and Spirit's CEO - Ben Baldennza (sp?) - worked under Siegel at US Airways. He was the brain child for the Fort Lauderdale focus city at US Airways before they were ran out and he took the concept to Spirit and made it work.

I'm still of the opinion that OKC doesn't need that and wouldn't embrace it. They are predators of the worst kind and I always caution my customers against them. They're sort of the cricket wireless version of an airline.

I didn't know about the new advertised fare now having to include all taxes and fees. At least not until a few days ago. I found this about the new rules and - specifically - Spirit Air. ljbab728, it sounds like you're right on the money (so to speak).
http://www.travelagentcentral.com/government-regulations/consumer-group-defends-dot-and-questions-spirit-air-33338

This Washington Post article gives all the details for those, like me, who didn't know about this:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/new-rules-on-airline-fees-take-effect-this-week/2012/01/23/gIQA7CzbLQ_story.html?tid=pm_local_pop

For those who might still be hoping for Spirit Airlines to begin flying into OKC, they have recently been voted the worst airline in the world for customer service by readers of Travel and Leisure Magazine.


No. 1: Spirit Airlines, Domestic


Score: 44.73 Spirit Airlines received lower marks for customer service than any other airline included in the World’s Best Awards survey. Not surprisingly, T+L readers had a lot to say about this low-cost carrier. “Worst airline in the world,” wrote one reader. “They leave you stranded when they cancel your flight, then basically tell you they don’t care. If they could figure out a way to charge for oxygen, they would do it. Used to fly them regularly but now I would pay more to avoid them.” The airline tries to deflect these types of customer complaints on Twitter, but the automated, robot-generated responses from “Spirit Autopilot” are hardly a consolation to disgruntled passengers. After receiving an unsatisfactory response for a complaint about the airline’s checked-bag fee policy, one user wrote, “This is your retort @SpiritAirlines? Did you also skimp on customer service to save $$?” As it turns out, yes, they did. “A big social media team costs money, so we put our feed on Autopilot to save you cents on every ticket,” states the company’s Twitter bio, which directs passengers to the customer service page of their website instead. That reasoning doesn’t reassure customers like @etholk, who wrote, “It would be nice if [you] guys even pretended to take the opportunity to show your customers that you care about them.”

My cousin is a captain for Spirit. I've heard from both sides on Spirit, those that loathe them and others that love them. I think if you intend to fly them just do your reading on what you're paying for, and what you may have to pay for.

They are the greyhound of the air. You just have to go in with the knowledge you will be charged for everything and the overall experience is not pleasant. But, if you're just trying to fly somewhere you can't beat the price.

This is why I like southwest. Still cheap fares but they don't cut corners on customer service and offer enough features to keep me happy

My cousin is a captain for Spirit. I've heard from both sides on Spirit, those that loathe them and others that love them. I think if you intend to fly them just do your reading on what you're paying for, and what you may have to pay for.

As noted in my post, the cost of ancillary services is only one aspect of the displeasure the travelers had with the airline. Bad customer service shouldn't be tied to that.

Flying to VA Beach a few weeks ago out of DFW I walked passed the Spirit gate and it was full of visually despondent, upset looking people. From what I could tell it appeared to be a long delay, even though it was a beautiful day. Probably didn't sell out the plane so Oops! We have "mechanical problems."

The CEO from what I've seen has thinly veiled hostility towards its passengers. Complaints about customer service are just "whiners." Why on earth would you entrust your life towards someone like this?

Wild prediction: absent a top to bottom makeover they won't be around for more than 5-7 more years. Not surprised at all to see their stock price has cratered 60% this year; I think Wall Street is not convinced by their business model of "here's a cheap ticket, now f*** you!" I cannot think of any company that survived long term with such a terrible reputation.

I've never flown RyanAir but if Spirit is anything close to what RyanAir is in Europe then me thinks they would very well here.

Flying to VA Beach a few weeks ago out of DFW I walked passed the Spirit gate and it was full of visually despondent, upset looking people. From what I could tell it appeared to be a long delay, even though it was a beautiful day. Probably didn't sell out the plane so Oops! We have "mechanical problems."
.

That's illegal. Plus makes zero business sense.




The CEO from what I've seen has thinly veiled hostility towards its passengers. Complaints about customer service are just "whiners." Why on earth would you entrust your life towards someone like this?


The CEO is not a mechanic nor a pilot. A pilot would not accept an aircraft if it were knowingly unairworthy, and a mechanic would not sign an aircraft off for being knowingly unairworthy.




Wild prediction: absent a top to bottom makeover they won't be around for more than 5-7 more years. Not surprised at all to see their stock price has cratered 60% this year; I think Wall Street is not convinced by their business model of "here's a cheap ticket, now f*** you!" I cannot think of any company that survived long term with such a terrible reputation.

They have had consistently the best profit margins in the industry. Their stock price has been upset because of the decline in oil prices, ironically. Other airlines able to match fares, consumers have more money. Once oil goes back up, so will Spirit stock price.

Once oil goes back up, so will Spirit stock price.

Could be, but will the public perception of bad service go back up? I had a customer recently who insisted on using Spirit for an international vacation trip even though I didn't recommend it. It was entirely because of the price. I don't think they will ever make that mistake again. They were not happy for a number of reasons.

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Could be, but will the public perception of bad service go back up? I had a customer recently who insisted on using Spirit for an international vacation trip even though I didn't recommend it. It was entirely because of the price. I don't think they will ever make that mistake again. They were not happy for a number of reasons.

They've been an airline since the 1980's, and their ULCC experiment has been a success since 2006 -- almost 10 years. Ryanair, as an ULCC has been a success in Europe for close to 16 years. There is clearly a market for it, and at that a profitable business niche.

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They've been an airline since the 1980's, and their ULCC experiment has been a success since 2006 -- almost 10 years. Ryanair, as an ULCC has been a success in Europe for close to 16 years. There is clearly a market for it, and at that a profitable business niche.

I have no doubt they can continue to make money. I just have no desire to see them in OKC. I have enough problems dealing with issues that my customers have with more conventional airlines. I don't need the headaches they would present. :mad:

Have used Spirit twice to fly to L.A. and I had virtually zero problems with them and in fact had the opposite of a problem with them. . . I saved over $300 every time I used them.

Have used Spirit twice to fly to L.A. and I had virtually zero problems with them and in fact had the opposite of a problem with them. . . I saved over $300 every time I used them.

Lucky you, as per their reputation for the worst customer service of any airline. I'm sure they can satisfy many people or they couldn't stay in business. I just don't like the odds that they won't.

As mentioned before, I flew them LAX-FLL (2300 miles) and was just fine. A Benadryl and 2 gin and tonics will cure any discomforts. I usually have a few gin and tonics no matter the flight, the Benadryl was the only difference.

They are starting PDX-LAX next year, I plan to book a trip. Can't beat their prices for just a few hours of being uncomfortable.

As mentioned before, I flew them LAX-FLL (2300 miles) and was just fine. A Benadryl and 2 gin and tonics will cure any discomforts. I usually have a few gin and tonics no matter the flight, the Benadryl was the only difference.

They are starting PDX-LAX next year, I plan to book a trip. Can't beat their prices for just a few hours of being uncomfortable.

Have an extra gin and tonic for me, catch. :) (And tell them to stay out of OKC.) LOL

Spirit will be fine. Understanding how economy options work is important.

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They've been an airline since the 1980's, and their ULCC experiment has been a success since 2006 -- almost 10 years. Ryanair, as an ULCC has been a success in Europe for close to 16 years. There is clearly a market for it, and at that a profitable business niche.

Actually Ryanair is an example of what Spirit SHOULD do (but probably won't). Ryanair has completely revamped its customer service process and eliminated or reduced a lot of fees over the past few years. Spirit has doubled down on their strategy.

I would not dismiss their recent poor stock performance as some function of oil prices. Their revenue per passenger fell last quarter quite steeply, and several analysts have questioned their ability to keep growing given that they are so universally loathed.

In any event, I don't expect them to expand to OKC soon as they are getting their clocked cleaned by a Wright-free Southwest in Dallas. My guess is that may spook them from growing in this part of the country.

Spirit will be fine. Understanding how economy options work is important.

As I said, that has nothing to do with customer service though. And that could be their downfall.

I wouldn't take Spirit for longer trips, but I've flown them twice for weekend trips where I could fit everything in a carry-on; the cost and time savings actually made the trip feasible to begin with, and I got to share in some life-changing milestones in friends' lives.

There was a Planet Money episode about Spirit Airlines a few months ago and it made me sympathetic and almost respect the way they do things at Spirit. I've had a miserable experience, but made me understand them a bit more at least.

Episode 517: The Fastest Growing, Least Popular Airline In America : Planet Money : NPR (http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2014/02/14/276973956/episode-517-the-fastest-growing-least-popular-airline-in-america)

Flew them knowing everything would cost and it worked out for me. I just didn't buy anything I didn't need. Was a flight from Dal to Fort Lauderdale. for me and my wife it was a total of $600 cheaper to fly out of Dallas with Spirit. It was a 4 day trip so a small bag for each of us was fine. It was a direct flight and was only about 3 hours so it was fine.

I did try to contact customer service and it's non-existent. However what I needed from them wasn't really important so I just lived without it.

I did try to contact customer service and it's non-existent. However what I needed from them wasn't really important so I just lived without it.
I'm glad it was OK for you, but it isn't OK for many people who actually need customer service.

For those of you saying "I hope Spirit doesn't come to OKC" - HUH!?!?!?!?!? Why on earth wouldn't we want Spirit here? Fares out of OKC are absurdly high at times - why on earth wouldn't we want some downward pressure on our fares? Makes zero sense. If you don't want to fly Spirit, don't! I posted in the other thread about how my wife and I finally contributed to the DFW leakage - I have no doubt that it was due to Spirit and their low fares. The legacies have to compete now - and with these low oil prices, they're able to.

Ya I'm sorry, I know you guys in the travel industry think we should just man up and pay for OKC fares, which I can agree with if you're flying by yourself. But Just doing a quick search to my frequent destinations, I can save $200+ PER TICKET flying out of DFW vs OKC. And that's even excluding the Spirit fares. With gas being so cheap, plus parking off airport, I can spend somewhere around $75 to save $400 on a flight for my wife and I. I can't even imagine the savings for larger families.

Ya I'm sorry, I know you guys in the travel industry think we should just man up and pay for OKC fares, which I can agree with if you're flying by yourself. But Just doing a quick search to my frequent destinations, I can save $200+ PER TICKET flying out of DFW vs OKC. And that's even excluding the Spirit fares. With gas being so cheap, plus parking off airport, I can spend somewhere around $75 to save $400 on a flight for my wife and I. I can't even imagine the savings for larger families.
Where are you going?

Six hours of my time is worth more than $200 to me. And when you add the cost of gas and off airport parking you probably only save $125 or $150. Pass. I can take an Uber to the airport and back for $20 total.

Six hours of my time is worth more than $200 to me. And when you add the cost of gas and off airport parking you probably only save $125 or $150. Pass. I can take an Uber to the airport and back for $20 total.
And if he's flying to like New Orleans it might be worth it to just drive at that point.

If I'm flying across the country, coming home I don't want to spend all day flying only to have to drive another 3 hours. If it's a closer destination, driving to Dallas plus an 1-2 early to get through security and Dallas traffic, you start totaling it up and it doesn't save that much time, plus stress level is higher.

Indeed - when my wife and I leaked to DFW it's bc we saved $400 per ticket. It was nuts. If it had been even $100-$200 more to fly out of OKC, odds are we would've flown out of here. Sounded good in theory but when our LAX-DFW flight got in 1.5 hrs late, then shuttle to car, then 3.5 hr drive home at night in heavy thunderstorms - it was brutal.

3-4 hundred might not be much if you are travelling solo or with one other but when you factor in a family with two or three kids, the savings are well worth flying from DFW. . In fact with gas being so inexpensive the option of driving with a family is making more sense to some locations when you add in cab fares/car rental etc.

Indeed - when my wife and I leaked to DFW it's bc we saved $400 per ticket. It was nuts. If it had been even $100-$200 more to fly out of OKC, odds are we would've flown out of here. Sounded good in theory but when our LAX-DFW flight got in 1.5 hrs late, then shuttle to car, then 3.5 hr drive home at night in heavy thunderstorms - it was brutal.

With 800 in savings, perhaps a night at a Holiday Inn would have been an option, and still pocketed 600 after meals.

Six hours of my time is worth more than $200 to me.

I don't make $33/hour, so not for me. But just for fun, I played around with checking different flights using Google, trying a few common destinations. I started with New Orleans, since it was mentioned as might as well just drive there if you're going to drive to DFW (and I don't disagree with that, but we have to start somewhere). Using January 11 as the departure date and January 18th as the return on all:

OKC to MSY: $343 DFW to MSY: $139 (Spirit, $157 is the next best price).

OKC to LAX: $314 DFW to LAX: $89 (Spirit, next best price is $162).

OKC to ORD: $275. DFW to ORD: $89 (Yup, Spirit again, 137 next best price).

These are some high savings, even for just one person. As mentioned, if you are traveling with a family, you'd pretty much have to be insane to fly out of OKC. Same trips with two adults and two children:

OKC to MSY: $1481. DFW to MSY: $553 Spirit, next lowest $693.

OKC to LAX: $1293. DFW to LAX: $353 Spirit, next lowest $645.

OKC to ORD: $1097. DFW to ORD: $353 Spirit, next lowest $625.

Conclusion: There is no reason whatsoever for a family to fly out of OKC (with the caveat that I obviously did not try every possible combination of airport and dates), and barely any reason for a single person to do so.

...Conclusion: There is no reason whatsoever for a family to fly out of OKC (with the caveat that I obviously did not try every possible combination of airport and dates), and barely any reason for a single person to do so.

You're making an awful lot of assumptions about other peoples' finances, time availability and how much the value their own time, or do not. Just because you might drive to Dallas and back to pick up a $400 bill doesn't mean everyone else would. As in, if you offered me $400 cash to drive to Dallas and back right now, no way I would do it, and I am by no means rich.

Fine if it works for you, but of course the logical extension of your argument is that many of those destinations you should just drive to. I know for a fact that I could drive to NOLA and back for far less than $553, for instance. I suppose if your own time and convenience have no value to you, you should by all means go that route.

I don't make $33/hour, so not for me. But just for fun, I played around with checking different flights using Google, trying a few common destinations. I started with New Orleans, since it was mentioned as might as well just drive there if you're going to drive to DFW (and I don't disagree with that, but we have to start somewhere). Using January 11 as the departure date and January 18th as the return on all:

OKC to MSY: $343 DFW to MSY: $139 (Spirit, $157 is the next best price).

OKC to LAX: $314 DFW to LAX: $89 (Spirit, next best price is $162).

OKC to ORD: $275. DFW to ORD: $89 (Yup, Spirit again, 137 next best price).

These are some high savings, even for just one person. As mentioned, if you are traveling with a family, you'd pretty much have to be insane to fly out of OKC. Same trips with two adults and two children:

OKC to MSY: $1481. DFW to MSY: $553 Spirit, next lowest $693.

OKC to LAX: $1293. DFW to LAX: $353 Spirit, next lowest $645.

OKC to ORD: $1097. DFW to ORD: $353 Spirit, next lowest $625.

Conclusion: There is no reason whatsoever for a family to fly out of OKC (with the caveat that I obviously did not try every possible combination of airport and dates), and barely any reason for a single person to do so.

Have you ever traveled with kids? Like ever?

Driving three hours (assuming there's no traffic in Norman or Dallas) to Dallas to get on a plane for another 2 hours. Then when its time to come home you are tired, grumpy about going back to work, and having to fly 2 hours to drive 3 hours....with kids. That sounds like punishment, not vacation.

So don't give me this there no reason whatsoever to fly out of OKC.

Price isn't everything to ALL people. Learn the phrase opportunity costs. I weigh OC much more than price. The more complicated an itinerary the more things that can go wrong. Kids make it tough.

The way people pitch flying out of Dallas sounds like a used car salesmen to me.

"I can save you $400 round trip!!!!"
"Whats the catch"
"You gotta drive 3 hours each way, no promises or guarantees there wont be massive delays, weather, cancellations, or general life randomness. (What would have happened if you had booked your Dallas flights this past May, right around the time of the rock slide by Ardmore, your 3 hour drive just became 5. Is that a reason?) You also have to pay $15 a day to park in Dallas airport garages, leave your car at Wal Mart and Uber to the airport (yay another leg, what if Uber is surging?), or be "that guy" to a Dallas buddy who calls for a place to park a car...you'd be stupid not to do it this way!"

Half the world doesn't care and sees the $$$$.
The other half thinks that sounds like a nightmare. I'll either pay it, drive to MSY, or just not go and save some money.

Don't speak for my half of the world. I care much more about the experience than the price. If the journey gets too complicated and miserable just to save a few bucks, I just won't go and save all the money.

You're making an awful lot of assumptions about other peoples' finances, time availability and how much the value their own time, or do not. Just because you might drive to Dallas and back to pick up a $400 bill doesn't mean everyone else would. As in, if you offered me $400 cash to drive to Dallas and back right now, no way I would do it, and I am by no means rich.

Fine if it works for you, but of course the logical extension of your argument is that many of those destinations you should just drive to. I know for a fact that I could drive to NOLA and back for far less than $553, for instance. I suppose if your own time and convenience have no value to you, you should by all means go that route.

OKC-NOLA driving is 10 hours 58 minutes.

OKC-Dallas 3.5 hour drive + 1 hour to get through security check in and get settled + 30 min traffic/wreck cushion+1.5 hour flight (assuming its on time). That's 6.5 hours.

The hassle isn't worth saving 5 hours. So I'd either just spend the extra to fly out of OKC, or just drive the entire way.

Oh and he also forgot to mention Spirit charges for the air you breathe on the plan. $71 is the base fare, unless you're planning to wear the same clothes, or buy new ones with all that cheddar he's saving, probably going to check a bag. So add $50.

Base price on Spirit is one price, but by the time you add all the fees it's another. You can't fart on Spirit without getting a bill.

Frontier is the same way.

You're making an awful lot of assumptions about other peoples' finances, time availability and how much the value their own time, or do not. Just because you might drive to Dallas and back to pick up a $400 bill doesn't mean everyone else would. As in, if you offered me $400 cash to drive to Dallas and back right now, no way I would do it, and I am by no means rich.

Fine if it works for you, but of course the logical extension of your argument is that many of those destinations you should just drive to. I know for a fact that I could drive to NOLA and back for far less than $553, for instance. I suppose if your own time and convenience have no value to you, you should by all means go that route.Well, apparently a hell of a lot of people do. I always fly direct to OKC airport every time, but it seems every time I hear about someone taking a vacation, they drive to DFW and flight out of there.

Well, apparently a hell of a lot of people do. I always fly direct to OKC airport every time, but it seems every time I hear about someone taking a vacation, they drive to DFW and flight out of there.

I'm not at all saying that people don't. Just that it's not for me under almost any reasonable circumstances that I can imagine. I'm just getting tired of some of the posts on here that read like "WTF?! Don't you know that you could have saved TWO HUNDRED BUCKS?! You must be an IDIOT!!"

If someone refuses to put value on their own time and convenience that's their own business. Just don't try to tell me what MY time is worth TO ME.

As in, if you offered me $400 cash to drive to Dallas and back right now, no way I would do it, and I am by no means rich.

Fine if it works for you, but of course the logical extension of your argument is that many of those destinations you should just drive to. I know for a fact that I could drive to NOLA and back for far less than $553, for instance. I suppose if your own time and convenience have no value to you, you should by all means go that route.

You've now doubled the hourly rate to $66/hour. I've no idea what you do for a living but I'm starting to think I should have chosen it as my career path.

Like I said, I don't disagree with just driving from here to NOLA, and my money is where my mouth is. I'm taking a trip there in the near future, and I'll be driving. Flying has become such a hassle these days that if it is within a day's drive, I'd rather drive. Bonus, I have transportation when I get there. But the fact remains that if you are looking to save money, which is what I understood Mike_M's point to be, you can save quite a lot. Are you giving up the convenience of just driving 10-20 minutes to WRWA? Obviously, that's the entire point. Is that convenience worth $600? To you, yes. To Mike_M, no. So taking away all the strawmen, I believe it is safe to say Spirit coming to OKC can only exert a downward pressure on prices, and if you don't like them, don't fly them. You couldn't pay me to, even though the "Charged for the air you breathe" is an exaggeration to the point where anything else the person says becomes just as much of a joke.

This was before we had the kiddo, but once we drove to DFW to fly to PHX (only because AA cancelled our flight out of OKC and we HAD to be in PHX for a wedding). Let me tell you, mind you this was without kid so just the two of us, that drive back to OKC was freaking brutal. Flying out of DFW is a non-starter for us. Just not worth it to us, if we're taking a trip we just plan accordingly. Our time and sanity is worth it.

Well, apparently a hell of a lot of people do. I always fly direct to OKC airport every time, but it seems every time I hear about someone taking a vacation, they drive to DFW and flight out of there.

Plupan, I deal with people on a daily basis who are going to go on vacation. The number that want to drive to DFW to leave or who would even consider it is probably under 5 percent.

Plupan, I deal with people on a daily basis who are going to go on vacation. The number that want to drive to DFW to leave or who would even consider it is probably under 5 percent.
Are you sure? It just seems like a lot of people I know are driving to DFW to fly. I do agree with Urbanized on this though how others shouldn't ridicule the ones who choose to fly out of Will Rodgers.

Are you sure? It just seems like a lot of people I know are driving to DFW to fly. I do agree with Urbanized on this though how others shouldn't ridicule the ones who choose to fly out of Will Rodgers.

LOL, yes I'm sure. It's my job.

I do agree with Urbanized on this though how others shouldn't ridicule the ones who choose to fly out of Will Rodgers.

If anything I said gave the impression I was ridiculing anyone for their personal choices, I apologize, as I do not feel that way nor was it my intent to give that impression. If this impression came from others, I'll leave them to apologize for themselves. The reason behind my reply was only in response to the subject of this post, and the expression of some people that they hope Spirit doesn't come here. As illustrated, the prices flying out of OKC to almost anywhere vs flying out of DFW to the same destination is insane, and if Spirit coming to WRWA does something to address that, how can it be a bad thing? Nobody is going to be forced to fly Spirit airlines, so if you don't want to (and I personally count myself in that camp), then it's just as simple as this: DON'T.

If it is worth $400 to you to drive to DFW, then get in your car and head South. If your time is more valuable to you, then fly out of WRWA. However, the ridicule goes both ways. I get the sense that people who choose to drive have been ridiculed in the last few posts, and I believe their choice is just as valid as anyone else's. If $400 is peanuts to you...GREAT! To others, it's a week's wages if not more, and taking a couple hours from their hard-earned vacation time to save some of their hard-earned dollars is NOT something people need to be scoffing at.

Since we're comparing fares here. I'm going skiing in a few months and did some searching.

Airfare from OKC-Jackson Hole from Mar 1-Mar 5 : $485
DFW-Jackson Hole: $508

DFW was actually more expensive to fly out of than OKC. DFW is not always the right move...and for those that say there is no reason to fly out of OKC... why would you pick DFW when it can be more expensive?

Since we're comparing fares here. I'm going skiing in a few months and did some searching.

Airfare from OKC-Jackson Hole from Mar 1-Mar 5 : $485
DFW-Jackson Hole: $508

DFW was actually more expensive to fly out of than OKC. DFW is not always the right move...and for those that say there is no reason to fly out of OKC... why would you pick DFW when it can be more expensive?

When I went to Jackson this summer, it was cheaper to fly from OKC to Jackson Hole (through Denver) vs. directly from Denver to Jackson Hole.

basically everyone makes their own travel choices and determines if its worth it to fly from here or there. I do both. But we drive to Dallas at least once a month anyways and have a permanent bedroom set up there so its not a big deal for us to drive down and we don't have to pay parking ect as we have access to be dropped off and picked up and a place to stay before and after the flight so it works sometimes and sometimes we just fly from here. It all depends on how things go.

As in, if you offered me $400 cash to drive to Dallas and back right now, no way I would do it, and I am by no means rich.

$400 minus a $50 tank of gas (both of my vehicles fill up for less than $30 at current gas prices and get to and from Dallas easily). If you decided to reward yourself with a $50 steak dinner for a good drive, you're still walking away with a $300 profit which roughly comes out to $40 an hour. If that kind of money is completely worthless to you, then yes I believe that you would have no issue paying an extra $400 to get to the same place at the same time as me.

For a lot of people, the savings derived from driving to Dallas is the difference between going on vacation and NOT going on vacation. OKC simply prices many people out of the market for even flying at all. I fly into OKC every 3 weeks and it is hands down the most expensive and least convenient time schedule I have ever experienced - and I have been flying full time for work for 13 years. I have driven to Dallas to catch a flight home because the price difference was the difference between going home and not going. The ticket was $900 out of OKC and $317 out of Dallas. At $900 I wasn't going at all. At $317 plus a 3 hour - I was going.

Take it for what's it worth, but I share my frustration with fellow business travelers at the airport all the time and nearly everyone of them agrees.

Take it for what's it worth, but I share my frustration with fellow business travelers at the airport all the time and nearly everyone of them agrees.

It's interesting that I talk to business travelers every day and they never express that sentiment to me.

It's interesting that I talk to business travelers every day and they never express that sentiment to me.

Different people having different values and different experiences really isn't that interesting, it's just human nature. For example, you find it interesting, I find it human nature. Vive la différence.

For a lot of people, the savings derived from driving to Dallas is the difference between going on vacation and NOT going on vacation. OKC simply prices many people out of the market for even flying at all. I fly into OKC every 3 weeks and it is hands down the most expensive and least convenient time schedule I have ever experienced - and I have been flying full time for work for 13 years. I have driven to Dallas to catch a flight home because the price difference was the difference between going home and not going. The ticket was $900 out of OKC and $317 out of Dallas. At $900 I wasn't going at all. At $317 plus a 3 hour - I was going.

Take it for what's it worth, but I share my frustration with fellow business travelers at the airport all the time and nearly everyone of them agrees.

Drive till you qualify. Cheap flights at the perimeter are eating away at OKC demand.

Merry Christmas!

By the way, Kept It Local and flew out of OKC at 7am in a beautiful American Eagle bottle rocket. 4 hour layover in Charlotte and flying again in another wonderful American Eagle tin can. So glad I didn't book one of the 10 direct flights from Dallas to LGA for half the price. Can't wait till I have kids and have the opportunity to entertain them in random airport food courts instead of my uncomfortable vehicle for a few hours.

By the way, Kept It Local and flew out of OKC at 7am in a beautiful American Eagle bottle rocket. 4 hour layover in Charlotte and flying again in another wonderful American Eagle tin can. So glad I didn't book one of the 10 direct flights from Dallas to LGA for half the price. Can't wait till I have kids and have the opportunity to entertain them in random airport food courts instead of my uncomfortable vehicle for a few hours.

I just plugged in an OKC-LGA flight and a DFW-LGA AA flight for a random date in January and the difference was less than $40, but keep exaggerating if you want.

There seems to be a lot of talking in this thread with little facts to back it up. As someone who lives in Dallas, I can tell you personally it is NOT cheap. And this has been shown in multiple surveys and studies.

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/which-airports-have-the-most-unfair-fares/?_r=0 --summary, both OKC and Dallas have high fares but DFW even more so.

D/FW Airport is one of the nation's most expensive - Dallas Business Journal (http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/blog/2012/11/dfw-airport-is-one-of-the-nations.html)

WSJ Flash Interactive - WSJ (http://www.wsj.com/news/interactive/MIDSEAT20110825) ---summary, DFW is MUCH higher than OKC

So if you are lucky enough to find the fare equivalent of a unicorn at DFW than good for you. For most people who are not either a) traveling in a large group or b) flying internationally, it is not worth it, and nobody has posted any facts that prove otherwise.

Newsflash: you live in a smaller market, not a hub. Some flights will be more expensive than others. Flying to Virginia Beach? Or Memphis? Or Louisville? My guess is that those people have the same complaints people in OKC have, although, probably like in OKC, the difference is not as near as big as some would think.

By the way, Kept It Local and flew out of OKC at 7am in a beautiful American Eagle bottle rocket. 4 hour layover in Charlotte and flying again in another wonderful American Eagle tin can. So glad I didn't book one of the 10 direct flights from Dallas to LGA for half the price. Can't wait till I have kids and have the opportunity to entertain them in random airport food courts instead of my uncomfortable vehicle for a few hours.

Serious question...do you understand how to book flights? I flew in and out of OKC 60 times this year on multiple airlines to multiple destinations of varying sizes and never had a layover longer than 2 hours that wasn't caused by a delay. Don't like small planes? Fly Southwest, they fly into LGA as well.

I also routinely compare flights out of OKC with DFW and Tulsa and have not ever noticed much difference other than when one airline was running a flight special out of one of the locations. Do you understand that you save money by booking in advance? Sometimes last minute flights are cheaper out of larger airports...sometimes it's the other way around, with airlines other than southwest booking flights under a week or two is a roll of the dice.

I understand that unique situations arise that can make flying out of other airports cheaper, but some of the complainers here seem to lack competency when it comes to booking travel.

It's interesting that I talk to business travelers every day and they never express that sentiment to me.

Maybe that is because you are dealing with business people who live in OKC and I am talking to people coming to OKC for business.

Serious question...do you understand how to book flights? I flew in and out of OKC 60 times this year on multiple airlines to multiple destinations of varying sizes and never had a layover longer than 2 hours that wasn't caused by a delay. Don't like small planes? Fly Southwest, they fly into LGA as well.

I have a nearly 4 hour layover in Houston the 3rd Friday of every week.