2018 Oklahoma City Aviation Thread

[OUman]

Agreed.

[CloudDeckMedia]

Current route map (combined)

@Catch22 - thanks for sharing this great direct-flight route map first of the year. Have the direct flight options changed? We’re planning a 2018 trip with a granddaughter, and are looking for a direct flight to-from OKC. Thanks!

[HangryHippo]

I saw this morning that Delta is dropping Dayton from LGA to add Chattanooga. Sure would like them to add OKC.

[Celebrator]

I saw this morning that Delta is dropping Dayton from LGA to add Chattanooga. Sure would like them to add OKC.

They have DCA and now will have LGA, too. Chattanooga! I don't get why we can't get one of these two destinations or both.

[HangryHippo]

They have DCA and now will have LGA, too. Chattanooga! I don't get why we can't get one of these two destinations or both.

I’m with you. What the heck does Chattanooga have?

[jonny d]

I’m with you. What the heck does Chattanooga have?

To be fair, it is a lot closer to both of those places. And we have flights to other airports in those markets already. I think those 2 will come to OKC eventually.

[catch22]

@Catch22 - thanks for sharing this great direct-flight route map first of the year. Have the direct flight options changed? We’re planning a 2018 trip with a granddaughter, and are looking for a direct flight to-from OKC. Thanks!

Philadelphia, PA is the only change to that map, that service on American begins June 7.

[LakeEffect]

I’m with you. What the heck does Chattanooga have?

Chattanooga has beauty. It's close to many major metros and has quite a bit of manufacturing located nearby, which means frequent business travel opportunity.

[BG918]

Chattanooga has beauty. It's close to many major metros and has quite a bit of manufacturing located nearby, which means frequent business travel opportunity.

DCA service is usually political. Oklahoma's state leaders haven't been demanding enough (or don't care) to get DCA service to either OKC or TUL. Meanwhile Arkansas has not one but TWO non-stops to DCA (from LIT and XNA). Even Mississippi has daily non-stop service from Jackson to DCA.

[catch22]

For the most part, the closer you are to the hub the more service you will get. The longer the flight, the higher the cost. A good example would be the amount of service we have to Dallas, compared to how much service Jacksonville has to dallas. It doesn't cost AA a lot to send a lot of flights to OKC. Crew costs are low, fuel costs are tiny, and the amount of aircraft time tied up is minuscule. JAX, even though a similar sized city, is much farther. Fuel and crew costs are quadrupled, and aircraft utilization time is tripled. Since it costs more, they have to have higher fares which reduces the number of people willing to pay. So even though the cities are similar, the lower cost of the shorter flight allows AA to give OKC more service in the form of cheaper fees for their routes out of DFW. It costs AA more to gain that feed out of JAX.

In this scenario, a lot of smaller cities in the east have better service to the east coast hubs not because they have something better than OKC. They are simply cheaper markets to operate in due to distance.

[Celebrator]

Chattanooga has beauty. It's close to many major metros and has quite a bit of manufacturing located nearby, which means frequent business travel opportunity.

So because OKC doesn't have "beauty" we don't have air service to DCA and LGA? Wha?

[LakeEffect]

So because OKC doesn't have "beauty" we don't have air service to DCA and LGA? Wha?

It adds to the charm of a destination; it's closer to the east coast, thereby cheaper to operate, as noted above, meaning it's easier to count as a recreation and tourist destination. It's all part of a package of reasons why they'd have it and we don't.

[Celebrator]

It adds to the charm of a destination; it's closer to the east coast, thereby cheaper to operate, as noted above, meaning it's easier to count as a recreation and tourist destination. It's all part of a package of reasons why they'd have it and we don't.

While I still don't buy the "beauty" factor (I mean DTW has service to LGA and DCA), the closeness and simple economics is what determines these services.

[jonny d]

Chattanooga has beauty. It's close to many major metros and has quite a bit of manufacturing located nearby, which means frequent business travel opportunity.

We have more beauty, since we have cities on the west coast, and Philadelphia, right? Or does it only work when OKC is made to be the ugly duckling?

[LakeEffect]

While I still don't buy the "beauty" factor (I mean DTW has service to LGA and DCA), the closeness and simple economics is what determines these services.

DTW metro is also 8 times larger than Chatannoga's, and its airport has a Delta hub. If you look at the table catch22 posted on the 1st page of this thread, in Q 2 of 2017, there were 433 round trip passengers per day to WAS airports, which includes Dulles and BWI on top of DCA. That’s not all that much traffic if you consider that IAD and BWI have a direct flights already. I’d guess we maybe have 120 round trip passengers per day, which would then only make economic sense for one airline to fly to/from OKC once a day? Just back-of-the-napkin here...

Don’t get hung up on my beauty comment, it’s just part of a package why Chatanooga is a place to fly from DCA.

[damonsmuz]

I see Allegiant is announcing a bunch of new routes tomorrow. Doesn't appear that OKC will be getting any with tomorrow's announcement. Not sure if this a sign that they feel OKC is maxed out at the moment. Or..Allegiant ran out of darts on the dart board

[OUman]

Nothing to write home about if you're the average passenger but looks like Southwest will be starting 737 MAX-8 service on one of the HOU flights.

[stjohn]

Showing an -800, now, not a MAX 8.

[gopokes88]

https://twitter.com/Fly_Nashville/st...068182528?s=20

Nashville service added by SWA

[catch22]

1x weekly on Sunday. It's a start.

[OUman]

Bummer about the MAX 8, pretty sure Airlineroute.net mentioned HOU-OKC-HOU was going to be one of the MAX 8 routes added this year. On the other hand, good stuff with BNA added in the mix, even if it's one weekly.

[Celebrator]

https://twitter.com/Fly_Nashville/st...068182528?s=20

Nashville service added by SWA

Seems pretty random, but the business must be there to warrant giving it a try. Provides some more connection opportunities I guess for us. How many pax per day currently go OKC-BNA?

[HangryHippo]

Excellent news! Hope it gets used so that we get more than 1 x weekly.

[catch22]

Seems pretty random, but the business must be there to warrant giving it a try. Provides some more connection opportunities I guess for us. How many pax per day currently go OKC-BNA?

90 in the total market, so about 45 or so each way.

See this post for others.
http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.ph...56#post1017456

[sbs]

Casino Express is now Xtra Airways, and is a very rare visitor here (only does charter flights). If I'm not mistaken I think we get more visits from Miami Air International (which just flew in a whole crew of OG&E workers from San Juan, Puerto Rico a few days ago).

As for passenger airlines that fly mainliners to/from OKC:

- American | Currently MD 82s/83s and a 319 (MDs will be retired this year)
- Delta | Currently flies B717-200s and B737-700s (though MD-88s have been scheduled for the summer months in the past)
- Southwest
- United | mix of 737s and 320-family aircraft (319 or 320)

Currently Fedex and UPS have Airbus 300-600Fs scheduled to/from OKC.

American also flies 738 to DFW.