Expressjet to start n/s service to/from OKC

[bombermwc]

The Tulsa trip - it's faster to get in your car then to go through the whole airport business....get there early, wait to board, fly, get your luggage, get a car, etc. It's like going to Dallas, it's easier and faster to just drive yourself.

My only gripe with RJ's is that there isn't enough room. If you sit on the outside seats, the cabin curves inward and forces your feet at an angle. For people taller than me (i'm 5'10"), I know it's even more horrible. At least in a real airplane you have a normal wall on the outside.

I do like the fact that you get in and out so much faster....and since i'm usually on one of these for only 2 hours at most....I can live with it. A Small price to pay for a non-stop flight. Now if I had to stop somewhere on one of these, I'd be pissed off big time.

[OUman]

^Back when I used to fly between OKC and ATL via TUL, the flights to/from TUL used to be packed or nearly full most of the time. At one time I remember a fair number of pax getting off at TUL before we continued on to ATL. Of course, that was back when airport security wasn't so stringent and the speed limit was 55mph on the highways. Now it's 70 and you get there a lot faster than flying. Still, who knows, there maybe enough potential in the route to where some business travellers would like having the option.

[Karried]

ExpressJet to fly Oklahoma


By The Associated Press


ExpressJet Airlines announced Monday it would offer nonstop service from Oklahoma City and Tulsa to cities in New Mexico, Texas and California.

The Houston-based regional airline, which until recently operated as Continental Express, will offer service from the two Oklahoma cities to Albuquerque, N.M.; the Texas cities of Austin and San Antonio, and the California cities of Sacramento, San Diego and Los Angeles/Ontario.
The service will be provided on 50-seat Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft.
ExpressJet plans to hire about 20 employees in Oklahoma City, transfer employees from other markets, and invest more than $550,000 in airport facilities and equipment. The company said it plans to hire about two dozen employees in Tulsa and invest almost $600,000 in airport facilities and equipment.

[metro]

Here's the article from OKC Business:

ExpressJet announces six new non-stop flight destinations out of Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers World Airport
By Stefanie Brickman - 2/5/2007


Bringing non-stop flights to six previously not served locales, ExpressJet Airlines announced its arrival in the Oklahoma City market at a Will Rogers World Airport press conference today.


With the addition of flights to Austin, San Antonio, Albuquerque, Sacramento, San Diego and Los Angeles’ Ontario airports, Will Rogers World Airport will now provide non-stop flights to 25 U.S. cities.


“This is terrific news that shows confidence in Oklahoma City,” Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said.


Tickets will be sold beginning today with service starting in April.


Houston-based ExpressJet will use 44 branded regional jets, said Matt Howell who is the senior director, tax and treasury for ExpressJet.


“We have a great track record with these regional jets,” Howell said. “We have three million departures in the last 10 years.”


Howell said the company is announcing the launching of service to 24 other cities today, each of which he described as medium-sized growing communities.


ExpressJet concentrates on three areas to please passengers: time, convenience and comfort; Howell said.


With non-stop flights, ExpressJet hopes to shave at least one hour off travel time that would be a layover.


For convenience, ExpressJet offers valet baggage service at the gate for checking in luggage and retrieving it at the arrival gate.


Each 50-passenger jet has newly redesigned seats that have free XM radio and headsets for comfort, as well as no aisle seats. Branded food will be served on the shorter flights and hearty meals will be offered on the longer flights. Full beverage service will be standard on all flights.


Director of Airports Mark Kranenburg said ExpressJet will qualify for the marketing program with funding by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. The program was established to target existing and attract new airlines to offer non-stop service out of Will Rogers World Airport.

[BDP]

they're going to serve food on the plane? How 1980s.

What does this mean?:

no aisle seats

1) How do you accomplish that

and

2) Aren't aisle seats usually considered the most comfortable seat?

Maybe they meant no center seats.

[jbrown84]

I was baffled about that myself. Guess there's no aisle, you just crawl over rows and rows of chairs.

[venture]

Flight schedule as follows...

Looks like three overnighting aircraft. Also, no San Antonio nonstops.

AUS - Austin, ABQ - Albuquerque, ONT - Ontario, SMF - Sacramento, SAN - San Diego

To Depart Arrive Flight # Stops
AUS 630a 747a 316 0
AUS 215p 332p 306 0
SMF 700a 939a 220 1
SMF 230p 404p 225 0
ABQ 700a 737a 220 0
ABQ 320p 357p 148 0
ONT 730a 828a 23 0
ONT 320p 524p 148 1
SAN 815a 913a 406 0
SAN 415p 513p 411 0

From
ABQ 1115a 148p 107 0
ABQ 530p 803p 221 0
AUS 630a 745a 305 0
AUS 1230p 145p 320 0
ONT 800a 148p 107 1
ONT 450p 943p 32 0
SAN 955a 242p 409 0
SAN 635p 1122p 414 0
SMF 1020a 335p 224 0
SMF 145p 803p 221 1

[OUman]

^The SAT schedules haven't been released yet, thus you don't see any SAT n/s's, but it's listed in destinations from Oklahoma City.

[HOT ROD]

looks like ABQ is our new hub city to get to SMF and ONT on one flight resp.

[OUman]

^I think that's a direct one-stop flight via ABQ (same plane service). Btw, ABQ is more like AUS, it's by no means a hub. Unless you count the Mesa Airlines micro-hub there.

[chrisok]

Tulsa is no longer shown as a destination on the interactive route map.

[Kerry]

looks like ABQ is our new hub city to get to SMF and ONT on one flight resp.

Only the morning flights stop in ABQ. The afternoon flights are non stop to SMF and ONT

[Rage 2.0]

That’s the problem... Got to many dang airline companies in the market... Like to have more presence at the airport but what help is this going to do...

[venture]

Rage,

Not sure what your comments are directed at. This is a great opportunity for OKC to get nonstop markets when they normally wouldn't show up. Do we have too many airlines in the US? Not really. The biggest issue I see is the fact the major network airlines have really shunned some of the small cities from expanded cities, while it is up to the smaller airlines like Allegiant to fill in.

[Rage 2.0]

This is a great opportunity for OKC to get nonstop markets when they normally wouldn't show up.

I totally overlooked that... Yeah I was just not thinking that way but I get the point... Big airlines don't want to spend there time with smaller airports so this keeps us at check...

Express has plans for OKC and Tulsa..? Someone mentioned that Tulsa was off the destination map...

[venture]

Tulsa is still there. They had shown a route between OKC and TUL, but removed it. They will still have service to the same group of cities as OKC. Personally, I wish airlines would get away from offering carbon copy operations at both airports...but whatever works.

[Rage 2.0]

I wish airlines would get away from offering carbon copy operations at both airports

Yeah you would think that they would have thought of that... Instead of offering the same routes at both airports- Change some up... I would mind driving to OKC to catch another route and vise verse with TUL...

[OUman]

That might occur at a later stage, but it's just that airlines that have hub ops will end up flying to the same destinations from two major in-state cities. That and the pax traffic/route demands are essentially the same for both airports. We don't have too many airlines, but we do have too many hubs. It's only in recent years we've seen a downsizing/elimination of hubs (PIT, STL, CMH, DFW (the DL/DL Conn hub) and so on) like it should've been. We still have too many hubs IMO but it's better now than it was before.

[brianinok]

Why isn't this information on the WRWA's website yet? No press release, no update on non-stop cities, no update on airlines.

[OUman]

^Is it a surprise? lol The terminal map hasn't even been updated to show DL's newly opened gates. I don't know, they seem to be always behind in updating the website on these things for some reason. On the other hand, passenger totals have been released for '06. Traffic went up over 3.6 million-a new high total.

[HOT ROD]

let's shoot for at least 4M this year. I've flown to OKC this year already and will again in April. Maybe one more time toward the end for the Centinnial (sp?)

So that would make 8 pax from my end.

[venture]

San Antonio flights have been loaded. Two daily trips...

OKC Departures
810 AM - Flight 515
755PM - Flight 517

Inbounds not showing up

[OUman]

^So XE (code for Expressjet) will have a total of 10 daily departures from OKC. Nice.

[chrisok]

11 new flights including Washington. Am I the only one that thinks that may be too many for OKC to support with them pretty much starting around the same time?

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great we're getting them. I just wouldn't be surprised if not all of them make it.

[venture]

IAD will do well.
SMF and SAT worry me a bit.