2015 Oklahoma Commercial Aviation Discussion

[bradh]

NOW it's official that I am losing my job hooray for minimum wage contractors stealing Union jobs!

You seem to have pretty good knowledge of the industry and whatnot, any prospects at FAA or anything like that? Something you can do in the private/GA world?

[warreng88]

Venture! Get Catch a job! You all and Anon are the most informed posters in this type of discussion!

[catch22]

sorry to hear catch. ...

I wish the rainbow tulip could re-emerge, the darkened globe has ruined United to the point of no return it appears.

I come from the dark colored Globe. However, Continental did not ruin United and United did not ruin Continental. This is a completely different company than how either existed prior to the merger. Things are being ran in a way that are not common to either pre merger carrier.

It's unfair to blame CO.

[OUman]

Sorry to hear that catch. Wish you the best, you certainly have the knowledge and experience to impress anyone.

[no1cub17]

That really sucks, catch. SMI/J has really destroyed CO/UA. Unbelievable. I'm just happy I didn't fly to/through Denver this winter: United's baggage woes start to affect Denver airport's reputation - The Denver Post

Hope you land on your feet soon!

[Bellaboo]

Chin up catch, you'll land another job.

[BG918]

That really sucks, catch. SMI/J has really destroyed CO/UA. Unbelievable. I'm just happy I didn't fly to/through Denver this winter: United's baggage woes start to affect Denver airport's reputation - The Denver Post

Hope you land on your feet soon!

I've dealt with the Denver airport baggage debacle multiple times flying UA. Each time it has taken well over an hour from when we pulled up to the jet bridge to when we got our bags. Usually it's 30 min which is fine because it takes about that long to get to the baggage claim if you have to take the train. OKC airport is such a breeze compared to DIA.

[venture]

Outsourcing to the lowest bidder...you get what you pay for. Unfortunately it seems, especially for UA, the only actual United employees anyone will see will be the flight crews. I can get outsourcing ramp, but outsource above wing (or counter/gate) to a third party is just crazy for any major brand with a decent number of flights.

Chalk this up to weak contracts/unions at United. Of course...people want their cheap fares so airlines try to cut what they can. Just like people want their cheap gas, and well...you know how that is going over for some people right now. LOL

[TheTravellers]

.... Of course...people want their cheap fares so airlines try to cut what they can. Just like people want their cheap gas, and well...you know how that is going over for some people right now. LOL

Read this last week, good timing...

Cheap airlines: Why Americans will suffer worse service on flights in order to pay less.

[warreng88]

From the JR:

Generating lift: Will Rogers sets record for passengers, expects more growth

By: Brian Brus The Journal Record January 19, 2015

OKLAHOMA CITY – More than 3.8 million travelers, a record number for Will Rogers World Airport, moved through the airport in 2014, officials reported.

The number surpassed the pre-recession high mark set in 2007 by about 97,000 passengers. With the exception of February, passenger traffic increased every month in 2014 over the previous year. For the year overall, the number of people getting on and off planes was up by 4.8 percent.

After a drop in 2008, the airport has seen a steady rise in passengers over the last seven years. Officials attributed much of the growth to the metro area’s robust economy and enhanced air services. An overview of the airport’s major new routes includes a nonstop United Airlines run to Washington Dulles added in 2007 to the latest announcement of Alaska Airlines’ nonstop flight to Seattle scheduled to begin in July.

“Those are basically markets that we’ve pursued,” airport spokeswoman Karen Carney said. “We’ve lost a few cities, but those were sites that we did not pursue; they basically resulted from airlines’ strategies and mergers – we lost Memphis, for example, as a result of the Delta-Northwest merger and the downsizing of that hub.

“After having such a low point in 2008, watching things rebound like this feels good,” she said.

There is no question that the growth in the city’s primary industry sectors – energy, aerospace, bioscience, convention and tourism – have contributed to this record-setting year, Oklahoma City Airports Director Mark Kranenburg said in a prepared statement.

“The good news is that this trend is expected to continue,” he said. “We hope that 2015 will set another record.”

But the difference in that record likely will not be as great. Officials projected a rise of only 1.8 percent for 2015 over 2014. Carney said the Oklahoma City Airport Trust is trying to pace development to match demand, with long-term plans beginning with the addition of three new gates and possibly as many as six. Officials are pursuing the establishment of new routes via JetBlue and Spirit airlines.

“Right now we can accommodate new carriers,” she said. “But we’re not going to build a bunch of new gates and then hope they can come.”

Flight patterns

Direct flights added over last seven years, and date service began:
• United nonstop to Washington Dulles, June 2007
• Southwest nonstop to Baltimore, August 2007
• United nonstop to San Francisco, August 2011
• Southwest nonstop to Chicago Midway, June 2012
• Southwest nonstop to Atlanta, November 2013
• Allegiant Airlines nonstop to Orlando/Sanford, November 2013
• American Airlines nonstop to Charlotte, July 2014
• Alaska Airlines nonstop to Seattle, begins July 2015

[damonsmuz]

Anyone know if the trend in AA bringing more regionals to the DFW-OKC route is going to stay or can we expect more mainline on this route soon???

[Snowman]

This might have come up a few threads ago but why does the Oklahoma Commercial Aviation discussion get broken apart by years?

[venture]

This might have come up a few threads ago but why does the Oklahoma Commercial Aviation discussion get broken apart by years?

Length of the threads is the main reason.

[no1cub17]

Anyone know if the trend in AA bringing more regionals to the DFW-OKC route is going to stay or can we expect more mainline on this route soon???

AA is retiring the S80s quite briskly, so I'd expect more RJs on the DFW route in the year ahead. Possibly an A319 or so if AA is feeling generous. OTOH I wouldn't be surprised if OKC is one of the very last S80 stations.

[s00nr1]

My AA flight to DFW yesterday morning at 7am was maybe 30% capacity (S80). I hadn't witnessed a flight this empty in a long time.

[no1cub17]

My AA flight to DFW yesterday morning at 7am was maybe 30% capacity (S80). I hadn't witnessed a flight this empty in a long time.

Not completely shocking. I wonder if LFs are lower throughout the system. AA has had some absurd fares lately - there was a thread on another forum where many frequent flyers were buying Toronto-Hong Kong for $505 roundtrip. Fine with me though, OKC could use some lower fares for a change!

[ljbab728]

My AA flight to DFW yesterday morning at 7am was maybe 30% capacity (S80). I hadn't witnessed a flight this empty in a long time.

I have no way of knowing for sure, but it's possible that the weather back East may have contributed to this with many cancellations. A lot of people may have decided to just change their plans instead of getting stuck somewhere with no connecting flight.

[bradh]

Yeah i wouldn't base anything you saw early this week in the overall state of aviation, it was crazy all around

[bradh]

Jus knowing AA, they probably called those absent folks night before with cancellations, they are the worst for canceling too soon

[ljbab728]

Or the best. Without those cancellations the airlines can get airplanes stuck in locations that complicate getting the entire network going again when the weather improves. I have no problem with erring on the side of caution in this situation.

[venture]

January and February are typically junk load wise. Mostly empty flights are pretty typical this time of the year outside of the majority routes.

[bradh]

Or the best. Without those cancellations the airlines can get airplanes stuck in locations that complicate getting the entire network going again when the weather improves. I have no problem with erring on the side of caution in this situation.

I get that side too, six years we got burned by AA though, they called the night before we were supposed to leave for PHX for a wedding, cancelled our flight, said they could rebook us that afternoon (wouldn't work, would miss rehearsal). So we told them to forget the OKC-DFW leg, we'd just drive to DFW that night and catch a DFW-PHX flight in the morning. Well, we drove to DFW, got there at 2am, slept for a couple hours at a relatives, get to DFW, only to find out that they went ahead and flew our OKC-DFW flight anyway (we watched people deplane at the gate from it). Needless to say we were pissed.

[catch22]

OKC loads are in the dumper right now for everyone.

UA is sending Airbuses out with less than 30 people on board routinely this Jan.

[s00nr1]

My flight from PHX-DFW tomorrow on one of AA's brand new A321s is also empty, which is saying a lot considering the size of that aircraft. The flight from DFW-OKC looks fairly full however.

[catch22]

Huge UA update effective May:

IAH: 5x E75, 2x ERJ, 1x 319, 1x E70
DEN: 1x 320, 1x E70 1x DH4, 1x ERJ
ORD: 1x 320, 2x CR7
IAD: 1x E75
EWR: 1x E70
LAX: 1x CR7
SFO: 1x CR7

just in time for the outsourcing too.