Here's to a 2025 full of new routes and service additions for KOKC. We can hope, right?

https://youtu.be/QGgGCvuez14?si=FZli73lXATxtsOUU

Haha, I wish.

New route predictions for 2025? Been forever since anything new has been announced.

I still think there is a leadership problem that is hurting OKCs airport, in terms of routes (bash away, I don't care). I don't know if OKC is just more conservative or has fewer incentives to lure new routes, or if OKC isn't marketed properly, but they have far fewer connections than other airports their size, or even smaller. See Des Moines or Grand Rapids as examples. OKC can't seem to keep lower-priced airlines here, and those 2 have made a killing with Allegiant Airlines. Just weird to me.

The fact OKC can't get back any of the routes they lost in 2020 is brutal, and hard to excuse. SFO, DTW, EWR, IAD, etc. We have 4 new gates, which should mean more flights and destinations, but it hasn't really, yet.

I’m just mad that there still isn’t a non stop to PDX. The flight could be chartered on a crop duster and I’d take it just for the convenience.

I NEED a direct to Boston! Tired of connecting through Houston or Chicago. And how do we not have directs to all of United's hubs??

Yeah, it is hard to believe UA has not restarted SFO, and since they have not, can't believe WN hasn't tried OAK to fill in the gap that exists to the Bay Area from here. And, yes, BOS would make be able to make it with jungle jets on AA or DL, I would think.

I’m just mad that there still isn’t a non stop to PDX. The flight could be chartered on a crop duster and I’d take it just for the convenience.

Yes. So tired of switching planes in Denver or SLC.

Every time I have flown to LGA it was at least 75% full, mostly 100%. Hard to believe a limited direct to BOS isn't available from OKC. ......

My wish list:

United - SFO and IAD and more mainline for IAH and DEN [or at worst, E75s only]
Alaska - PDX
American - PHL
Delta - BOS

I thought someone had indicated in the last version of this thread that OKC-SFO was coming back in 2025 (summer?) and I think I read they are actively trying to launch international (to Mexico) this year. Definitely questionable why smaller cities/markets have better flights than OKC or bigger planes on key routes. ...

But yes, I think your list is very reasonable and should be a priority for OKC (other than possibly OKC-PDX but could be done on Horizon to start). In fact, add JetBlue to JFK to that list, Spirit to MKE (at least once a week), and ALL of United Hubs (return of EWR, as well as SFO and IAD) and fill year OKC-MIA. Also need to see allegient do full year to at least one of their OKC destinations.

Imagine if OKC had all of these, we'd surely be north of 5 million pax annually probably by limiting leakage to DFW alone. Add in the international and OKC could be getting connections, which dramatically increase pax numbers (by the double count).

I think SFO on United, BOS on Delta and PHL on AA are the most likely adds over the next 1-3 years. That and a flight to CUN - no idea which airline though. My thoughts on the following:
- United: IAD, EWR - these used to be the only flights to the DC and NYC areas, now that there is competition from Southwest/AA/Delta I don't see United adding them back anytime soon
- Delta: DTW - this was served many years pre-COVID, Delta for whatever reason doesn't seem to want to add it back. At least MSP is now back (1x/daily - used to be 2x/daily).
- Southwest: BWI - I don't see Southwest adding this back now that they have restored MDW and added BNA and MCO for east coast connections, plus O&D is covered by the DCA nonstops on AA/Southwest
- Allegiant: good to see them returning for summer 2025, maybe they can add a couple new routes like MSY
- Alaska: I could see PDX being added in the next couple years, they have said recently they want to build up that hub

Looking at the data of similar sized cities and emplanements, why does OKC lag in enplanements and non-stop routes when normalized for population?

I understand Raleigh and SLC are hubs, but how do Milwaukee and Memphis outperform OKC on non-stop routes? Only Providence (which can hit NYC or Boston for flights) and Birmingham, AL have fewer enplanements per population than OKC. I know the joke is people from OKC will drive instead of fly...but if you don't have direct routes, it makes choosing to drive much easier. How do we get to a level similar to these other airports?

All that being said, if OKC adds a non-stop international route (as rumored), it would be a big step forward for the airport.



Airport
2023 MSA Population
2023 Enplanements
Non-Stop Routes
Emplanements/
Person
Non-Stop Routes/
1 million people
International?


Tuscon
1,080,300
1,925,546
19
1.78
17.6
No


Spokane
785,302
2,002,286
21
2.55
26.7
No


Tulsa
1,044,757
1,571,600
23
1.50
22.0
No


Birmingham, AL
1,184,290
1,499,027
23
1.27
19.4
No


OKC
1,477,926
2,135,106
25
1.44
16.9
No


Buffalo
1,155,604
2,291,995
29
1.98
25.1
No


Omaha
983,969
2,464,418
33
2.50
33.5
No


Milwaukee
1,560,424
2,959,840
35
1.90
22.4
Yes


Memphis
1,335,674
2,399,876
35
1.80
26.2
Yes (May 2025)


Richmond, VA
1,349,732
2,399,239
35
1.78
25.9
No


Grand Rapids
1,162,950
1,899,740
36
1.63
31.0
No


Providence, RI
1,677,803
1,732,909
38
1.03
22.6
Yes


Louisville
1,365,557
2,268,034
40
1.66
29.3
No


Cleveland
2,158,932
4,803,822
41
2.23
19.0
Yes


Columbus
2,180,271
4,095,189
46
1.88
21.1
Yes


Pittsburgh
2,422,725
4,493,052
60
1.85
24.8
Yes


Kansas City
2,221,343
5,654,068
61
2.55
27.5
No


Raleigh
1,509,231
7,119,040
74
4.72
49.0
Yes


Salt Lake City
1,267,864
12,905,368
105
10.18
82.8
Yes

Looking at the data of similar sized cities and emplanements, why does OKC lag in enplanements and non-stop routes when normalized for population?

I understand Raleigh and SLC are hubs, but how do Milwaukee and Memphis outperform OKC on non-stop routes? Only Providence (which can hit NYC or Boston for flights) and Birmingham, AL have fewer enplanements per population than OKC. I know the joke is people from OKC will drive instead of fly...but if you don't have direct routes, it makes choosing to drive much easier. How do we get to a level similar to these other airports?

All that being said, if OKC adds a non-stop international route (as rumored), it would be a big step forward for the airport.



Airport
2023 MSA Population
2023 Enplanements
Non-Stop Routes
Emplanements/
Person
Non-Stop Routes/
1 million people
International?


Tuscon
1,080,300
1,925,546
19
1.78
17.6
No


Spokane
785,302
2,002,286
21
2.55
26.7
No


Tulsa
1,044,757
1,571,600
23
1.50
22.0
No


Birmingham, AL
1,184,290
1,499,027
23
1.27
19.4
No


OKC
1,477,926
2,135,106
25
1.44
16.9
No


Buffalo
1,155,604
2,291,995
29
1.98
25.1
No


Omaha
983,969
2,464,418
33
2.50
33.5
No


Milwaukee
1,560,424
2,959,840
35
1.90
22.4
Yes


Memphis
1,335,674
2,399,876
35
1.80
26.2
Yes (May 2025)


Richmond, VA
1,349,732
2,399,239
35
1.78
25.9
No


Grand Rapids
1,162,950
1,899,740
36
1.63
31.0
No


Providence, RI
1,677,803
1,732,909
38
1.03
22.6
Yes


Louisville
1,365,557
2,268,034
40
1.66
29.3
No


Cleveland
2,158,932
4,803,822
41
2.23
19.0
Yes


Columbus
2,180,271
4,095,189
46
1.88
21.1
Yes


Pittsburgh
2,422,725
4,493,052
60
1.85
24.8
Yes


Kansas City
2,221,343
5,654,068
61
2.55
27.5
No


Raleigh
1,509,231
7,119,040
74
4.72
49.0
Yes


Salt Lake City
1,267,864
12,905,368
105
10.18
82.8
Yes



Big oof. Everything rolls uphill. It starts at the top. Louisville having 40 and OKC only 25 is criminal, and should be a firable offense. OKC hasn't added a new destination in over a year. OKC hemorrhages passengers to DFW because our route tree is pathetic.

Unfortunately, there seems to be no urgency to improve it, either. Or maybe OKC is seen as so poor, airlines don't want to invest in any leisure routes here.

Part of SDF's 40 count for nonstops is the fact they have two ULCCs (Allegiant and Breeze) that specialize in point to point leisure, so of course they are going to have more nonstops on the books. Every single time those two airlines make an add it is a nonstop route basically (I know Breeze uses CHS as a bit of hub, but not a ton). Why haven't ULCCs done well in Oklahoma? Now that I cannot account for. OKC has a lower per-capita income than Louisville by about $3-5k per sources I could find. That's a large difference that might account for increased travel due to more disposable income.

Part of SDF's 40 count for nonstops is the fact they have two ULCCs (Allegiant and Breeze) that specialize in point to point leisure, so of course they are going to have more nonstops on the books. Every single time those two airlines make an add it is a nonstop route basically (I know Breeze uses CHS as a bit of hub, but not a ton). Why haven't ULCCs done well in Oklahoma? Now that I cannot account for. OKC has a lower per-capita income than Louisville by about $3-5k per sources I could find. That's a large difference that might account for increased travel due to more disposable income.

The ULCCs may do well because Louisville has a huge draw of bourbon tourist trade and SDF is a/the destination point.

The ULCCs may do well because Louisville has a huge draw of bourbon tourist trade and SDF is a/the destination point.

Interesting, thanks. I don't drink so know nothing about that being a "huge draw."

XNA serves a metro of 600k (Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers/Bentonville) and has 26 nonstop flights. 7 of those are on Allegiant or Breeze. I know Wal-Mart, yada yada.

The growth of XNA has definitely impacted TUL has it used to get more flyers from that area that now use XNA. I think DFW takes away a good number of potential OKC flyers especially those in the south metro and southern OK.

XNA serves a metro of 600k (Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers/Bentonville) and has 26 nonstop flights. 7 of those are on Allegiant or Breeze. I know Wal-Mart, yada yada.

.

kind of a big deal ...

Looks like SWA is also adding a flight from DTW for the Michigan game to go along with Delta

Purely anecdotal. Purely conjecture. But I would suspect there are fewer business travelers coming to and from OKC than a lot of those cities because of the relative lack of larger corporations here, Omaha for example has six Fortune 500 headquarters and 4 more in the 500-1000 range.

To BG918's point, metro size is one thing but I have to think it also has to do with population within a couple of hours. Western Oklahoma is far less dense than most of those other places on that list above.

Final anecdotal point is I think a lot of Oklahomans, when they "travel" they drive to a lake or maybe as far as Colorado or the Gulf coast. I just feel like fewer people in OKC than elsewhere take bigger trips by plane to farther locations, which may be a function of lower incomes. I may be off on that, just a hunch.

Purely anecdotal. Purely conjecture. But I would suspect there are fewer business travelers coming to and from OKC than a lot of those cities because of the relative lack of larger corporations here, Omaha for example has six Fortune 500 headquarters and 4 more in the 500-1000 range.

To BG918's point, metro size is one thing but I have to think it also has to do with population within a couple of hours. Western Oklahoma is far less dense than most of those other places on that list above.

Final anecdotal point is I think a lot of Oklahomans, when they "travel" they drive to a lake or maybe as far as Colorado or the Gulf coast. I just feel like fewer people in OKC than elsewhere take bigger trips by plane to farther locations, which may be a function of lower incomes. I may be off on that, just a hunch.

I think you're last point needs some push back. If we had more options, we'd gladly fly. But because we have to connect to go anywhere, it's automatically significantly more expensive.

Bison34, I think you are right. The pushback is warranted. However, if a few hundred dollars makes or breaks where someone goes on a vacation, then they may not be traveling very much in the first place. If someone says "I would go to New York if it was $500 but since it's $800 I'm not going to go," that is a function of lower incomes and living "closer to the break-even line." I think there is more of that in OKC as a percentage than in some other places. But I don't have data to back that up.

So just looking at some cities that I would put in our lane (Omaha, des Moines, grand rapids, Louisville) and their route maps, I found something obvious but interesting.

Each one of those above have nonstop connections to 9-12 airports in Florida alone. We have 3, and right now they are mostly seasonal. I don't have any rhyme or reason on why oklahomans don't want to go to Florida, but it was eye opening.

So just looking at some cities that I would put in our lane (Omaha, des Moines, grand rapids, Louisville) and their route maps, I found something obvious but interesting.

Each one of those above have nonstop connections to 9-12 airports in Florida alone. We have 3, and right now they are mostly seasonal. I don't have any rhyme or reason on why oklahomans don't want to go to Florida, but it was eye opening.

Those are all upper Midwest cities with significantly colder winters so maybe more people go to Florida for warm weather during the winter months? Also many Oklahomans (and people in the South in general) go to the FL Panhandle for vacation, and many either drive or fly to Destin on Allegiant. An Allegiant nonstop to Gulf Shores would likely do well in the summer - they are starting this route from XNA, maybe OKC/TUL will eventually be added

So just looking at some cities that I would put in our lane (Omaha, des Moines, grand rapids, Louisville) and their route maps, I found something obvious but interesting.

Each one of those above have nonstop connections to 9-12 airports in Florida alone. We have 3, and right now they are mostly seasonal. I don't have any rhyme or reason on why oklahomans don't want to go to Florida, but it was eye opening.

Since moving here, I have noticed that it seems to me more Oklahomans go to AZ over FL. I think that is true from here and to the West. We are kind of the dividing line for the nation, culturally, where people vacation in FL more than AZ. Completely anecdotal, but have noticed it in the last 15 years. The flights to say, Orlando and Phoenix are about the same, but the drive seems like a much easier shot to AZ, so perhaps it has just grown over the years as the preferred vacation destination from FL. Someone in the industry has hard numbers on that and it would they would be interesting to see. I mean, how many more times has OU and OSU been sent to bowl games in AZ versus FL? It seems to me more often to AZ. Anyway, high leisure numbers to FL definitely generate traffic for even small cities in the midwest and east where FL demand seems insatiable!

New pax record set for 2024.

https://okcfox.com/news/local/will-rogers-airport-hits-record-with-over-46-million-passengers-in-2024-international-flights-planes-travel-dallas-chicago-new-york-numbers-director-community-strong-economy

https://www.okenergytoday.com/2025/01/okc-airport-travel-grew-5-in-2024/

Air service enhancements played a key role this year, with United Airlines increasing service to Chicago and Houston, Frontier Airlines adding more departures to Las Vegas and Denver, Southwest adding more frequency to Nashville, Orlando, and Las Vegas, and American Airlines increasing service to Charlotte, Dallas, and seasonal service to Miami.

Dallas is our problem. We will never get the convenient non-stops because we are too close. A lot of Oklahomans drive to Dallas for cheaper/efficient flight paths. People here are used to driving everywhere so a 2.5 hour straight shot isn't a big deal. And many people know someone in Dallas where they can store a vehicle and get a ride to the airport.

If airlines required home address as part of the booking process, they could probably better see where passengers are truly "departing" from.

Dallas is our problem. We will never get the convenient non-stops because we are too close. A lot of Oklahomans drive to Dallas for cheaper/efficient flight paths. People here are used to driving everywhere so a 2.5 hour straight shot isn't a big deal. And many people know someone in Dallas where they can store a vehicle and get a ride to the airport.

If airlines required home address as part of the booking process, they could probably better see where passengers are truly "departing" from.

They can via credit cards payments and loyalty programs. They have good data

Dallas is our problem. We will never get the convenient non-stops because we are too close. A lot of Oklahomans drive to Dallas for cheaper/efficient flight paths. People here are used to driving everywhere so a 2.5 hour straight shot isn't a big deal. And many people know someone in Dallas where they can store a vehicle and get a ride to the airport.

If airlines required home address as part of the booking process, they could probably better see where passengers are truly "departing" from.

It's a catch 22. If airlines respected OKC like they do Grand Rapids or Louisville, then we would get better routes and not have to drive to DFW. But because they don't, we have to drive to DFW, so it hurts OKC's numbers.

They can via credit cards payments and loyalty programs. They have good data

I would love to see the data of how many OKC billing addressed credit cards are purchasing departing flights out of Dallas. Maybe the OKC airport can do a survey of their own here.

But I suppose if the airlines can see OKC people taking Dallas departures, then they don't have much incentive to remedy that because they are obviously getting the seats sold.

It's a catch 22. If airlines respected OKC like they do Grand Rapids or Louisville, then we would get better routes and not have to drive to DFW. But because they don't, we have to drive to DFW, so it hurts OKC's numbers.

They won't "respect" OKC if the data shows a good number of travelers are driving to DFW. One of the largest and busiest airports in the world is a 2.5-3 hour drive from metro OKC, you can literally fly anywhere in the U.S. and to 4 other continents from there. You're not going to see catchment from east of OKC since those travelers will use TUL, and there is very little population density west of OKC. The only things that overcome that are 1) increased population growth, 2) business connections and 3) tourism.

Purely anecdotal. Purely conjecture. But I would suspect there are fewer business travelers coming to and from OKC than a lot of those cities because of the relative lack of larger corporations here, Omaha for example has six Fortune 500 headquarters and 4 more in the 500-1000 range.

Final anecdotal point is I think a lot of Oklahomans, when they "travel" they drive to a lake or maybe as far as Colorado or the Gulf coast. I just feel like fewer people in OKC than elsewhere take bigger trips by plane to farther locations, which may be a function of lower incomes. I may be off on that, just a hunch.

I think you’re spot on. Smaller amount of F1000s than comparable cities on the list, and in turn lower income. DFW is a humongous magnet as well.

As a poorer state, I feel a lot of Oklahomans would rather drive 6+ hours and not pay for a flight.

Fortunately, OKC is experiencing strong population growth, which can balance out these issues.

I would love to see the data of how many OKC billing addressed credit cards are purchasing departing flights out of Dallas. Maybe the OKC airport can do a survey of their own here.

But I suppose if the airlines can see OKC people taking Dallas departures, then they don't have much incentive to remedy that because they are obviously getting the seats sold.

We fly Southwest..a lot...and were disappointed when SWA discontinued OKC-DAL Love Field a few years after the Wright Amendment ended and it really opened up where you could fly from Dallas Love, and since Southwest controlled 90% of the gates at Love Field, you could find some really cheap flights. At the time we were told the reason the OKC route was ended was due to limited gate capacity at Love Field, and the OKC-DAL route was used primarily for connections/pass throughs and not a final stop in Dallas. In other words when a SWA plane landed from OKC, it was transferring the majority of passengers to other flights from Love which was not an efficient operation for SWA's route planning and limited gates at Love Field. From my perspective, Houston Hobby has become the go to pass through for OKC Southwest flights as many flights are routed through Hobby if not a direct destination already served by OKC. We also rate compare with ICT in Wichita and TUL on Southwest and sometimes you can get an east coast flight from Tulsa for a few hundred dollars less round trip on SWA than you can for a similar route from OKC.

Since the OKC to Love Field route ended, we will still rate compare our final destination with OKC and DAL, if Love Field can save us a significant amount, we will drive the three hours to Dallas. Plus as mentioned above we can fly direct to many more destinations from Dallas Love than OKC, which may allow us to actually end up at our destination quicker without having to catch a connecting flight elsewhere.

We have many friends that fly American Airlines and will also rate compare, and will drive to DFW Airport for significant savings, especially if they are flying international on American and can land a direct flight from DFW to their destination.

It comes down of course to timing, but if you can save hundreds (and sometimes even a few thousand if you are traveling with multiple people for a vacation to a distant location) the three hour drive to DFW or Love Field is worth it.

It comes down of course to timing, but if you can save hundreds (and sometimes even a few thousand if you are traveling with multiple people for a vacation to a distant location) the three hour drive to DFW or Love Field is worth it.

Similarly, I have a lot of friends that cruise and will only go out of Galveston because they can drive their family there instead of spend the money on airfare. One plane ticket isn't generally worth the savings but when you multiply that for a family of four or five...it adds up. People will drive to save the money whether it is to DFW for a cheaper flight or avoid flying at all because it is only a 6-8 hour drive.

A big draw to driving to DFW is non-stop flights. We have had several nightmare connections in the past year. To us, its not the lower cost, its the lack of possibility of delays....

I would love to see the data of how many OKC billing addressed credit cards are purchasing departing flights out of Dallas. Maybe the OKC airport can do a survey of their own here.

But I suppose if the airlines can see OKC people taking Dallas departures, then they don't have much incentive to remedy that because they are obviously getting the seats sold.

Also towns like Ardmore. Without Dallas, OKC captures.

Similarly, I have a lot of friends that cruise and will only go out of Galveston because they can drive their family there instead of spend the money on airfare. One plane ticket isn't generally worth the savings but when you multiply that for a family of four or five...it adds up. People will drive to save the money whether it is to DFW for a cheaper flight or avoid flying at all because it is only a 6-8 hour drive.

I know tons of people that make the drive all the way down to Seaside like twice a year. 1,000 mile drive, it's nothing to them. It's so deeply cultural.

I know tons of people that make the drive all the way down to Seaside like twice a year. 1,000 mile drive, it's nothing to them. It's so deeply cultural.

We go there every Labor Day and take the Allegiant flight to Destin. Even with the hour drive from Destin to Seaside I can leave OK in the early afternoon and be walking on the beach before dinner.

Though it is nice that we can drive to fantastic beaches or world-class ski resorts in a day, not too many places can you say that.

Cities like Providence, Milwaukee, Richmond, all have huge, massive cities with global airports within 2 or so hours. Yet they have much better route trees than OKC.

Lets quit giving those whose job it is to recruit new routes to the airport a pass. Heck, Hartford is getting a JetBlue flight to JFK. Like, a flight that is less than 3 hours on a train (it is like, from OKC to Ardmore, distance-wise). I don't want to hear excuses. In the Zoo thread, people are raking them over the coals for not doing their jobs.

Cities like Providence, Milwaukee, Richmond, all have huge, massive cities with global airports within 2 or so hours. Yet they have much better route trees than OKC.

Lets quit giving those whose job it is to recruit new routes to the airport a pass. Heck, Hartford is getting a JetBlue flight to JFK. Like, a flight that is less than 3 hours on a train (it is like, from OKC to Ardmore, distance-wise). I don't want to hear excuses. In the Zoo thread, people are raking them over the coals for not doing their jobs.



Geeze, I don’t think our airport will ever do anything right by you. They just had record amount of passengers last year (an all time record mind you) and they’ve already said they are in discussions with airlines about adding flights to Mexico.

So the airport leadership is doing their due diligence. Airlines don’t “disrespect” us whatever that means. They are going to do what they think is best for their business and not our feelings about what flights we think we should have. There are also some renovations coming to the airport as well to make the passenger experience better, such as removing tile floors, bathroom work etc.

I think our airport is great. Easy to get in and out of. I understand some folks driving to Dallas but sometimes after a long trip it can’t be beat just grabbing your luggage and going home versus driving from Dallas. Again, different strokes for different folks. I’m a primary AA customer so we have lots of options from here with them. Last report they were second in volume behind Southwest. I have no doubt DFW siphons off lots of AA passengers.

Geeze, I don’t think our airport will ever do anything right by you. They just had record amount of passengers last year (an all time record mind you) and they’ve already said they are in discussions with airlines about adding flights to Mexico.

So the airport leadership is doing their due diligence. Airlines don’t “disrespect” us whatever that means. They are going to do what they think is best for their business and not our feelings about what flights we think we should have. There are also some renovations coming to the airport as well to make the passenger experience better, such as removing tile floors, bathroom work etc.

I think our airport is great. Easy to get in and out of. I understand some folks driving to Dallas but sometimes after a long trip it can’t be beat just grabbing your luggage and going home versus driving from Dallas. Again, different strokes for different folks. I’m a primary AA customer so we have lots of options from here with them. Last report they were second in volume behind Southwest. I have no doubt DFW siphons off lots of AA passengers.

I actually really enjoy our airport. Like you said, it is easy in and out. They have significantly better options for food and drink than they did 3 years ago. The problem is that our route tree hasn't grown with it. I want OKC to truly be a BLC (big league city). But until they at least have flights to every hub, I don't think they are there yet.

The airport itself is very nice. I like the layout and how easy security is. I can be both critical and appreciative. OKC has a lot to offer,

Looking at the data of similar sized cities and emplanements, why does OKC lag in enplanements and non-stop routes when normalized for population?

I understand Raleigh and SLC are hubs, but how do Milwaukee and Memphis outperform OKC on non-stop routes? Only Providence (which can hit NYC or Boston for flights) and Birmingham, AL have fewer enplanements per population than OKC. I know the joke is people from OKC will drive instead of fly...but if you don't have direct routes, it makes choosing to drive much easier. How do we get to a level similar to these other airports?

All that being said, if OKC adds a non-stop international route (as rumored), it would be a big step forward for the airport.



Airport
2023 MSA Population
2023 Enplanements
Non-Stop Routes
Emplanements/
Person
Non-Stop Routes/
1 million people
International?


Tuscon
1,080,300
1,925,546
19
1.78
17.6
No


Spokane
785,302
2,002,286
21
2.55
26.7
No


Tulsa
1,044,757
1,571,600
23
1.50
22.0
No


Birmingham, AL
1,184,290
1,499,027
23
1.27
19.4
No


OKC
1,477,926
2,135,106
25
1.44
16.9
No


Buffalo
1,155,604
2,291,995
29
1.98
25.1
No


Omaha
983,969
2,464,418
33
2.50
33.5
No


Milwaukee
1,560,424
2,959,840
35
1.90
22.4
Yes


Memphis
1,335,674
2,399,876
35
1.80
26.2
Yes (May 2025)


Richmond, VA
1,349,732
2,399,239
35
1.78
25.9
No


Grand Rapids
1,162,950
1,899,740
36
1.63
31.0
No


Providence, RI
1,677,803
1,732,909
38
1.03
22.6
Yes


Louisville
1,365,557
2,268,034
40
1.66
29.3
No


Cleveland
2,158,932
4,803,822
41
2.23
19.0
Yes


Columbus
2,180,271
4,095,189
46
1.88
21.1
Yes


Pittsburgh
2,422,725
4,493,052
60
1.85
24.8
Yes


Kansas City
2,221,343
5,654,068
61
2.55
27.5
No


Raleigh
1,509,231
7,119,040
74
4.72
49.0
Yes


Salt Lake City
1,267,864
12,905,368
105
10.18
82.8
Yes



Another relevant metric to compare might be how many people are closest to that airport. I don't know where to get updated data (or really have the time to devote to it), but I found where someone assembled something for that back in 2012.

While I'm sure the numbers have changed significantly from https://www.mark-pearson.com/airport-distances/OK.html over the last 13+ years, it could be worth looking into. (If you want the maps to load, you'll need to allow insecure content for the site because the Google Maps embed URLs are http while the site is https which throws a mixed content error and gets blocked by default for security.)

Cities like Providence, Milwaukee, Richmond, all have huge, massive cities with global airports within 2 or so hours. Yet they have much better route trees than OKC.

Let’s quit giving those whose job it is to recruit new routes to the airport a pass. Heck, Hartford is getting a JetBlue flight to JFK. Like, a flight that is less than 3 hours on a train (it is like, from OKC to Ardmore, distance-wise). I don't want to hear excuses. In the Zoo thread, people are raking them over the coals for not doing their jobs.
These are such absolutely untethered from reality, apples-and-oranges comparisons on every level. Hartford has 19,577,357 people living within 100 miles. Nineteen million!

Here’s at tool for finding the populations within a prescribed radius of American cities (https://www.statsamerica.org/radius/big.aspx#). I’ll save you the trouble of looking up 100 mile radius numbers for the cities you listed in the above post:


Milwaukee: 12,506,872
Providence: 8,796,289
Richmond: 6,301,522

Oklahoma City has 2,409,939 within a 100 mile radius. And a hefty chunk of those live south and will almost certainly choose DFW over OKC. The posts on this board that routinely, completely ignore the way population and capital influence the world around them blow my mind.

Geeze, I don’t think our airport will ever do anything right by you. They just had record amount of passengers last year (an all time record mind you) and they’ve already said they are in discussions with airlines about adding flights to Mexico.

So the airport leadership is doing their due diligence. Airlines don’t “disrespect” us whatever that means. They are going to do what they think is best for their business and not our feelings about what flights we think we should have. There are also some renovations coming to the airport as well to make the passenger experience better, such as removing tile floors, bathroom work etc.

I think our airport is great. Easy to get in and out of. I understand some folks driving to Dallas but sometimes after a long trip it can’t be beat just grabbing your luggage and going home versus driving from Dallas. Again, different strokes for different folks. I’m a primary AA customer so we have lots of options from here with them. Last report they were second in volume behind Southwest. I have no doubt DFW siphons off lots of AA passengers.
Yeah, blah blah. Let me f@cking know when they add new direct flights.

PS, I’m trolling, but only barely. I don’t really use Oklahoma City airport, except the fly to and from Los Angeles. But I would like to see more direct flights added.

I have always wondered how Salt Lake City International Airport has maintained such a high passenger traffic as considered its a "small market", compared to other cities on that list, nothing even comes close.

But I guess hosting the Winter Olympics in 2002 gave it real boost with infrastructure. They are also slated to host the 2034 Winter Olympics.

I only see Oklahoma City International airport securing Latin American routes, those makes the most sense. I don't see them securing any European cities, maybe London as a longshot, but won't hold my breath.

I have always wondered how Salt Lake City International Airport has maintained such a high passenger traffic as considered its a "small market", compared to other cities on that list, nothing even comes close.

But I guess hosting the Winter Olympics in 2002 gave it real boost with infrastructure. They are also slated to host the 2034 Winter Olympics.
SLC does have a pretty robust visitor economy, plus a lot of tech and defense business, and of course is the worldwide HQ for a major religion.

But the main reason it has so many flights is due to it being a Delta hub. If you’re flying Delta to the west coast or intermountain west there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be flying through SLC. Comparing OKC to a Big Three airline hub will always be an unfair comparison.

These are such absolutely untethered from reality, apples-and-oranges comparisons on every level. Hartford has 19,577,357 people living within 100 miles. Nineteen million!

Here’s at tool for finding the populations within a prescribed radius of American cities (https://www.statsamerica.org/radius/big.aspx#). I’ll save you the trouble of looking up 100 mile radius numbers for the cities you listed in the above post:


Milwaukee: 12,506,872
Providence: 8,796,289
Richmond: 6,301,522

Oklahoma City has 2,409,939 within a 100 mile radius. And a hefty chunk of those live south and will almost certainly choose DFW over OKC. The posts on this board that routinely, completely ignore the way population and capital influence the world around them blow my mind.

Good point on the population density. OKC has to split that 2.4M with TUL to the east and DFW to the south, whereas Omaha (for example) has 1.9M nearly all to itself with only LNK and its 7 daily flights to DEN/ORD.

Similarly TUL is able to have nearly the same number of nonstop destinations as OKC even though the Tulsa metro has 400k less people due to the higher population density of eastern OK (3.1M in a 100 mile radius, 4.6M in a 125 mile radius which picks up OKC and NWA).

It sounds like western Oklahoma 's population density really hurts us in pulling additional flyers and expansion routes. I also wonder how much OKC's top employers force business air travel.

For an airport like XNA in NW Arkansas, I assume Walmart creates a steady flow of business travel coming in and out of Bentonville.

OKC has Paycom, Hobby Lobby, Devon, Love's - do those corporate entities require a lot of business air travel?

As others have stated, leisure travel seems to be impacted by direct route choices from DFW and DAL and the ability to drive to worthy vacation destinations (Rocky Mountains/Gulf Coast) within a day.

It sounds like western Oklahoma 's population density really hurts us in pulling additional flyers and expansion routes.

Quite a few people in far western Oklahoma opt for AMA, LBB, and (if only needing to get through Denver) LBL.

i agree that OKC airport is nice and is nicely run, but I think we should ask these questions where OKC falls short compared to its peers. We should strive for more, at least a chance; OKC should def have a flight to every hub at the very least; it did before 2019 yet the market and city is much bigger now.

we should not rest on our laurels, esp since the OKC flight map doesn't even match the 2019 version yet. Yes, pax numbers are record levels again but that's due to the city/metro population growth and NOT to the flights. Again, we should at least have flight to every hub and if we did we'd probably have 5 million pax instead of 4.6.

i agree that OKC airport is nice and is nicely run, but I think we should ask these questions where OKC falls short compared to its peers. We should strive for more, at least a chance; OKC should def have a flight to every hub at the very least; it did before 2019 yet the market and city is much bigger now.

we should not rest on our laurels, esp since the OKC flight map doesn't even match the 2019 version yet. Yes, pax numbers are record levels again but that's due to the city/metro population growth and NOT to the flights. Again, we should at least have flight to every hub and if we did we'd probably have 5 million pax instead of 4.6.

Is there a reason why flights from OKC seem to consistently be more expensive than when comparing to DFW, TUL, or even ICT?

I know there are many factors, but when comparing same day departures to the same destination, but from searching, I will find that neighboring airports sometimes can be anywhere between $100-150 a ticket cheaper on the same carrier.

An easy way to increase local passenger traffic from OKC, when it seems there from these posts there are a decent number of people that divert around OKC to neighboring airports, would be to get same day fares comparable.

Is OKC charging a considerable amount more in gate rentals and other fees to the airlines that drive up costs?

https://x.com/ishriona/status/1882202872655303025?s=46

Let's hire this guy haha

Wilmington: twenty million people within a 100 mile radius. 20 million!

I’m sure there’s also tons of other airports in the area to serve that 20 million people as well. There’s just always some excuse for mediocrity in Oklahoma. So frustrating to see.

There’s excuses for mediocrity, and then there is simple acknowledgement that we live in the real world. Those are two very different things.

I’m not in agreeing or disagreeing with you I’m just stating there’s always excuses for mediocrity in Oklahoma especially on this website. It gets very tiring. And once again, I’m sure there are many airports that serve the 20 million people that live in this area. So the other person‘s point is still valid. Not saying yours isn’t. You do have a good point. But to me it seems Oklahoma City should pull more of its weight than it does when it comes to direct flights.

Fair enough. Let’s bring the radius down to 50 miles, so about the size of the OKC MSA, which has 1.4 million persons. Wilmington has…nearly 6.8 million. That’s roughly equal to the entire population of Oklahoma and Kansas combined.