2015 Oklahoma Commercial Aviation Discussion

[no1cub17]

Just an FYI, the first flight OKC-SEA is sold out in coach, and has a few FC seats left.


Hopefully this flight does well in the future and they either a) add another b) add PDX c) upgrade to a 737.

Indeed. I hope AS adds a morning frequency that connects to their Hawaii bank. AS' service looks pretty solid!

[HOT ROD]

Just an FYI, the first flight OKC-SEA is sold out in coach, and has a few FC seats left.


Hopefully this flight does well in the future and they either a) add another b) add PDX c) upgrade to a 737.

I see this as a 4 step process:
Step 1 = mature the existing service
Step 2 = a) add another plane: Evening Arrival/Early AM departure (key for Seattle Business, since the existing flight seems key for OKC business)
Step 3 = c) upgauge one of the flights to 737 (be nice if it is the existing flight, shows OKC's command)
Step 4 = add PDX
.. ...
Step 5 = add an East Coast destination to balance the PDX nonstop, say DCA or MIA

[s00nr1]

Just an FYI, the first flight OKC-SEA is sold out in coach, and has a few FC seats left.


Hopefully this flight does well in the future and they either a) add another b) add PDX c) upgrade to a 737.

I would think (c) would make sense seeing as how AS already completes some of their 737 maintenance at WRWA.

[damonsmuz]

Kinda related... Thunder get a fancy upgrade in equipment

NBA Players Get Roomier Chartered Jets as Delta Air Adds Teams - Bloomberg Business

[damonsmuz]

Recently flew from OKC-MSP on Compass out and Skywest back. Flight out was about 85% full and flight back was 100% full (though 4 of the passengers were employees of Delta). 3 flights a day to MSP .. how does this compare to the past few years when Northwest/Airlink operated the route?

[gopokes88]

June is out. Little better still behind '14. http://www.flyokc.com/statistics/Jun...nplanement.pdf

[HangryHippo]

American appears to be seeing some good growth.

[NWOKCGuy]

Any insight to what has caused the lift with AA?

[bradh]

Any insight to what has caused the lift with AA?

more awareness of the Charlotte route?

I wish they'd open up a nonstop to PHX now

[gopokes88]

more awareness of the Charlotte route?

I wish they'd open up a nonstop to PHX now

Southwest has one though

[bradh]

More competition for nonstop routes is never a bad thing

[HangryHippo]

I'm hoping we get hooked into either PHL or JFK someday soon.

[rayhurst]

I'm hoping we get hooked into either PHL or JFK someday soon.

Or MIA for better connections to the Caribbean and South America and additional routes to Europe!

[catch22]

Or MIA for better connections to the Caribbean and South America and additional routes to Europe!

I think MIA is a decade away, or more.

American (which along with oneworld is very strong in Austin) just only recently began flying nonstop Austin-Miami, and the flight isn't doing particularly well. It began as daily service, and very quickly was reduced to less than daily.

If Austin to Miami can't work, OKC to Miami will be a very difficult sell, especially with the OKC-Florida market having an atrocious record of unprofitable flying. The Allegiant experiment is still pending. Long term it will be interesting to see if they last.

[catch22]

Based on recent success I predict the next several years OKC will add AA to PHX and PHL, AS will either expand OKC-SEA or add PDX (one or the other), and UA will drop LAX and add a second SFO.

Who know what WN will do, and I think DL is fairly satisfied with the market at this time.

[pure]

I understand that Tulsa does maintenance for AA, but how is the TUL - MIA route doing?

[OUman]

I think MIA is a decade away, or more.

American (which along with oneworld is very strong in Austin) just only recently began flying nonstop Austin-Miami, and the flight isn't doing particularly well. It began as daily service, and very quickly was reduced to less than daily.

If Austin to Miami can't work, OKC to Miami will be a very difficult sell, especially with the OKC-Florida market having an atrocious record of unprofitable flying. The Allegiant experiment is still pending. Long term it will be interesting to see if they last.

Austin also has three daily nonstops to/from Fort-Lauderdale Hollywood Int'l (two Southwest, one Jetblue) which probably hasn't helped the Miami route all that much either. I suspect most of the Austin-Miami traffic is leisure-driven, which almost always tends to prefer FLL over MIA.

[Urbanized]

SkyWest airlines hit with restrictions and fines after 12,000-foot descent

SkyWest airlines hit with restrictions and fines after 12,000-foot descent

By Jessica Plautz

The Federal Aviation Administration is cracking down on SkyWest airlines — hard.

Last April, one of the carrier's planes stalled on a flight from Denver to Oklahoma City, descending from 39,000 to 27,000 feet, according to the FAA. In response to the incident, the administration is putting both speed and altitude restrictions on SkyWest.

The new restrictions will keep the carrier's CRJ700 and 900 aircraft at or below 35,000 feet, and CRJ200 aircraft at or below 33,000 feet.

SkyWest says the plane did not stall, but experienced a "slow speed event."

"Months ago, one SkyWest CRJ aircraft experienced an isolated slow speed event, which is when an aircraft reaches less than optimal speeds," SkyWest told ABC. "The aircraft’s slow speed alert systems functioned perfectly, and the crew responded appropriately with a 4,000-foot descent. No stall occurred."

SkyWest also told ABC that it expects the restrictions to be lifted once the FAA analyzes all the available data about the incident.

However, this is only the latest FAA decision against the airline, which partners with major carriers including American, United and Delta.

Last week, the FAA proposed more than $1.2 million in fines against the airline "for allegedly operating an aircraft that was not in compliance with federal aviation regulations."

The FAA said the carrier had failed to inspect landing gear and cargo door skins on several planes at the proper intervals to check for damage that could put flights at risk. The number of flights that took place on planes overdue for inspection number into the thousands, according to the FAA.

SkyWest, which carried 28 million passengers last year, has a month to respond to the FAA fines.

[catch22]

Austin also has three daily nonstops to/from Fort-Lauderdale Hollywood Int'l (two Southwest, one Jetblue) which probably hasn't helped the Miami route all that much either. I suspect most of the Austin-Miami traffic is leisure-driven, which almost always tends to prefer FLL over MIA.

Which does not help our argument one bit either. As OKC-Florida is very leisure (hardly any large industry ties between the SE/Florida and OKC). Southwest won't touch FLL-OKC, and we do not have B6. MIA has AA, but as you point out the leisure market generally goes to FLL.

I just don't see it as viable. With CLT now, access into Florida can easily be accommodated.

[OUman]

^Hopefully the CLT flights will keep getting better passenger numbers and we can have a decent competitor to ATL. Better frequencies and/or larger planes.

Austin just scored another major international carrier. Albeit only summer-seasonal and twice-weekly, but getting Condor in addition to BA will certainly help to grow the international market down there.

Source: Austin Bergstrom Airport

[ljbab728]

I went to a chamber function today introducing Alaska Airlines to OKC. An interesting note is that the plane we are getting is brand new and has never been used on another route.

[catch22]

I went to a chamber function today introducing Alaska Airlines to OKC. An interesting note is that the plane we are getting is brand new and has never been used on another route.

Thats simply not true.

SkyWest began operating the E175 for Alaska on July 1 on the following routes: SEA-OKC/ONT/SLC/MKE as well as PDX-STL.

[brianinok]

July 1? I don't see how that is not new. They might have flown a few routes for a few days before OKC, but that's still new. Just like when you buy a new car other people have likely test driven it.

[HangryHippo]

Catch, do you see any new routes opening up for OKC in the near future - i.e. in the next 6 months/year? Could OKC support San Antonio or New Orleans?

OKC is pretty well connected to the major cities at this point, so I'm curious what else is out there on the airport's radar, aside from PHL, PHX, and maybe LGA/JFK someday.

[ljbab728]

Thats simply not true.

SkyWest began operating the E175 for Alaska on July 1 on the following routes: SEA-OKC/ONT/SLC/MKE as well as PDX-STL.

The Alaska Airlines rep at the meeting showed us a picture of the plane to be used and assured us that it was a new plane. She did not say it was a new type of plane just that our specific plane had not been used before on another route.