Will Rogers World Airport

[catch22]

The primary point is that spending advertising dollars on publishing fare sales by tenant airlines is a waste of money: everyone has a cell phone. Everyone can access google, orbitz, etc. at any given moment. People are already aware of fare sales and cheap tickets -- those sell first. The cheap tickets will always sell first. The goal should not be to advertise something that will already sell. It won't increase the number of available fares or change the amount of people using WRWA. A $39 fare may only have an inventory of 20 per day on a given route. That fare bucket will ALWAYS sell out. You would only be changing the amount of time that fare bucket sells and who is sitting in the seat. Those marketing dollars would simply be spent in vein with no appreciable change.

You aren't going to solve leakage to DFW. There are many people who will go to any length to save $1. You're not going to change their minds. But there are people who may be on the fence about it. They might not be in the extreme example of 4-digit savings. They may be saving $200-500. They might not have ever parked at DFW, sat in Dallas traffic, or even driven to DFW before. Their half-cousin may have recommended it. They are trying it. These are the people you aim to retain on their next trip. Several reminders that their $350 in savings is actually quite a hassle. Next time they might find it worth it to fly out of OKC.

In the future this problem will likely mitigate itself to some degree. Norman is growing, I-35 traffic is worsening. Traffic in DFW area will only get worse. The drive time will steadily increase making it less and less tolerable for some.

I literally fly for free, and Tulsa is the furthest from OKC I would ever consider flying to for the purposes of flying to Oklahoma. If I can't get to OKC or TUL I do not fly. I will not even fly for free to DFW because it sounds like a total hassle and waste of time. In fact, I have even purchase tickets from OKC to avoid driving to DFW for a free ride to DEN.

[Plutonic Panda]

You fly for free. Most people don't. I know you were being a bit facetious with your saving $1 comment but when it comes to saving $300 per person or even much more than that, it doesn't matter how bad traffic is. I'm sure people would drive it even if it took 6 hours. That's a lot of money. Time is valuable sure, but sometimes people don't have a choice and it comes down to whether or not they can afford it.

[catch22]

You fly for free. Most people don't. I know you were being a bit facetious with your saving $1 comment but when it comes to saving $300 per person or even much more than that, it doesn't matter how bad traffic is. I'm sure people would drive it even if it took 6 hours. That's a lot of money. Time is valuable sure, but sometimes people don't have a choice and it comes down to whether or not they can afford it.

If a flight to OKC from LAX is too expensive have you considered driving to Las Vegas for a flight to a OKC? Would you drive to San Francisco for a flight to OKC?

[bradh]

If they see the billboards explaining the convenience of OKC, they've already purchased the ticket. You want to make them think about it from Purcell to the parking lot. 2 1/2 hours of hearing your screaming kids, dealing with I-35 craziness, and the pulsing temples of an approaching headache-- you want them to think. I'd easily pay $600 to get me out of this hell.

I'm getting the shakes about even thinking driving to DFW for flights reading this post. I've done it once...never again. If I can't fly out of OKC, then we're either not going or we're just making it a road trip (I know, sounds contradictory, but sometimes we can make some fun of the road trip).

Josh I'm siding with catch22 here. Is that survey link still live?

[catch22]

To steer the conversation away from billboards - what are some things WRWA could do to enhance the passenger experience to add value?

An airport lounge would be a good start. The airport should talk to American Express about their lounges. They are not airline specific as anyone with American Express can enter (I think - I use Amex but have not tried one)

Has valet parking started now that the rental car facility has moved out of the short term garage?

Partnering with Embark on a direct to downtown shuttle bus. Nonstop service every hour. $10 is fair. Connects to Streetcar-big selling point and even better if fare included 1-hour transfer allowance on streetcar (if they decide to have fares). Could later expand it if desired to add routes nonstop to Norman, or one-stop Moore then Norman. Edmond could also be a desirable point.





.

[Plutonic Panda]

If a flight to OKC from LAX is too expensive have you considered driving to Las Vegas for a flight to a OKC? Would you drive to San Francisco for a flight to OKC?

I've actually done that before though I will admit partly that is because I love Las Vegas so I'm biased there. However if a flight was cheaper like the ones compared to OKC VS. DFW, then yes, because I wouldn't have a choice if I couldn't afford them.

[bradh]

I've actually done that before though I will admit partly that is because I love Las Vegas so I'm biased there. However if a flight was cheaper like the ones compared to OKC VS. DFW, then yes, because I wouldn't have a choice if I couldn't afford them.

Just sounds like you need a better agent

[Plutonic Panda]

Just sounds like you need a better agent

you aren't kidding

[tfvc.org]

Maybe another thing to offer people is free secure high bandwidth wifi, high amperage charging ports at the seats, maybe some little work cubicles with cat5 connections on their own subnets. Some little extra modern conveniences that doesn't cost the airport much more but can be important especially for families and business travelers.

[WitWhy]

I've never, ever seen Wichita cheaper than OKC. Maybe it's just me, though.

i posted on the past page 2 examples straight some southwest.com.

"i've lived in the OKC area for 10 years now. I have driven to both DFW and ICT to fly because I can save multiple hundreds of dollars on round trip flights. I prefer ICT because it's much smaller than DFW.
i just did a southwest search for non-stop from OKC and ICT to PHX for the same days (26 May to 28 May). OKC - PHX = $588 and ICT - PHX = $430. further out to 16 June to 18 June , OKC - PHX = $465 and ICT - PHX = $264. so for me and the wife to save $300 - $400, that's quite substantial and worth the $35 in gas it takes to drive to Wichita and back"

southwest has always been cheaper to fly out of ICT compared to OKC whenever i look and i've flown out of there 3 times because of the savings. i've also used allegiant from ICT because it goes to where i go.

[Jeepnokc]

An airport lounge would be a good start. The airport should talk to American Express about their lounges. They are not airline specific as anyone with American Express can enter (I think - I use Amex but have not tried one)

.

AMEX club requires Platinum or Centurion card to access. As much as I like and use the AMEX and Delta lounges when I travel, they make more sense in locations where people have layovers. (However, I am amazed that New Orleans has a Skyclub)

Price is a concern but so is convenience. I can my house one hour before boarding time and make every flight. Driving to Dallas...I have to look at possible traffic and snarls and plan on getting to airport several hours early to ensure I make flight. Want me to fly more...offer me one way routes to places I want to visit for getaways. If I have to spend a day travelling in each direction...less chance of going.

[s00nr1]

Yeah, a lounge at WRWA really makes zero sense to me (speaking as a frequent business traveler). I try to time it where I spend as little time as possible from my garage in Moore to my seat (departures) so the idea of a lounge isn't going to be much of an incentive.

[Josh Ryan]

I'm getting the shakes about even thinking driving to DFW for flights reading this post. I've done it once...never again. If I can't fly out of OKC, then we're either not going or we're just making it a road trip (I know, sounds contradictory, but sometimes we can make some fun of the road trip).

Josh I'm siding with catch22 here. Is that survey link still live?

Sorry about the slow reply, here is the link: goo.gl/yKzais

[catch22]

Yeah, a lounge at WRWA really makes zero sense to me (speaking as a frequent business traveler). I try to time it where I spend as little time as possible from my garage in Moore to my seat (departures) so the idea of a lounge isn't going to be much of an incentive.

Non-hub airports do have them. MSY (DL), AUS (UA, AA), PDX (UA) PHX (UA) Are a few off the top of my head. None of those airlines offer any (meaningful) connections in those cities yet have dedicated airline lounges. You don't necessarily need a hub for a lounge.

[Josh Ryan]

To steer the conversation away from billboards - what are some things WRWA could do to enhance the passenger experience to add value?

An airport lounge would be a good start. The airport should talk to American Express about their lounges. They are not airline specific as anyone with American Express can enter (I think - I use Amex but have not tried one)

Has valet parking started now that the rental car facility has moved out of the short term garage?

Partnering with Embark on a direct to downtown shuttle bus. Nonstop service every hour. $10 is fair. Connects to Streetcar-big selling point and even better if fare included 1-hour transfer allowance on streetcar (if they decide to have fares). Could later expand it if desired to add routes nonstop to Norman, or one-stop Moore then Norman. Edmond could also be a desirable point.

Your ideas are very much in line with the planning ideas that get discussed here.
Regarding a shared-use airport lounge, this is something that we are seriously evaluating. One of our challenges is finding available space that is large enough and strategically located. We do have a few ideas. We also have had conversations with other airports that currently have lounges as well as with companies that operate these types of facilities. We agree this would be a good amenity for many frequent flyers.
Valet parking is not planned at this time. A recent parking study revealed that there is not a significant demand for that service at WRWA and would be difficult to sustain. Right now we're focused on the following parking upgrades:
- Parking reservation options for premium spots in lower level Garage A
- Completing repairs and rehabilitation of the lower level of the two-story parking garage, which will reopen as premium parking, the closest covered parking to the terminal building. We hope to have this open in June.
- The ability to reserve spaces online for premium parking, with the goal to eventually expand online reservations to all parking facilities.
- Installation and system upgrades of a new parking and revenue control system that will include “pay-on-foot” kiosks
-The installation of space locaters in the five story parking garages
- New wayfinding signage in all of the parking garages
- Renovations and upgrades to the elevator station in the two-story parking garage (this is currently in the engineering stage)
Several years ago, Embark did have daily bus service to the airport. Ridership was so low (1-2 passengers a day, some days 0 passengers) that the route was not sustainable. As the streetcar system develops and expands, we feel that Embark and City leadership will re-evaluate the possibility of a direct bus line to downtown.

[Zuplar]

Maybe this is already a thing, but wasn't there a plan where your pikepass would pay for parking? That seems super handy to me.

[catch22]

The ridership was low because it was 3x daily, had a million stops between downtown and took an hour. I am not proposing a city bus but a city-run direct nonstop shuttle. I think that would be more successful than a city bus meandering through the city stopping every 1/4 mile between the airport and downtown.

[OUman]

As for Austin Bergstrom having an AA lounge - don't forget that BA has a daily nonstop to London Heathrow; Not only can AA passengers access it but so can the many oneworld elite status and first/business class passengers who fly BA from Austin. Similar scenarios are present at other non-hub airports where the daily passenger counts for that airline's lounge are high enough to warrant it.

A common lounge makes more sense at OKC, which can be used not by passengers of any specific airline, but multiple airlines.

[no1cub17]

A shared lounge would be amazing! The airspace lounge in San Diego comes to mind.

Hourly bus service to downtown for $10 is going to be difficult IMO as long as uber remains legal and cheap. Why would anyone ride a bus for $10 if you can uber door to door for $15?

[no1cub17]

As for Austin Bergstrom having an AA lounge - don't forget that BA has a daily nonstop to London Heathrow; Not only can AA passengers access it but so can the many oneworld elite status and first/business class passengers who fly BA from Austin. Similar scenarios are present at other non-hub airports where the daily passenger counts for that airline's lounge are high enough to warrant it.

A common lounge makes more sense at OKC, which can be used not by passengers of any specific airline, but multiple airlines.

AA has had an admirals club in AUS for years, well before BA launched the LHR flight. It's one of the busiest spokes in the AA network and also high-yielding. SNA is similar - not a hub but a busy spoke with plenty of frequent flyers, thus gets an A.C.

[OUman]

^You're correct, the AUS Admirals Club was there much before BA started service, I was only making a point that with BA it has that much more traffic. I think AA has called AUS a "focus" airport, and combined AA/Eagle have around 30 daily departures from AUS last I checked.

[Plutonic Panda]

So I was chatting with a friend and I was told the initial renderings aren't coming to fruition because they didn't want to new terminal to be too nice or else it would detract from the recently remodeled terminals. Can anyone confirm if that is true?

[bradh]

So I was chatting with a friend and I was told the initial renderings aren't coming to fruition because they didn't want to new terminal to be too nice or else it would detract from the recently remodeled terminals. Can anyone confirm if that is true?

No offense but that sounds ridiculous.

[catch22]

I wouldn't put much stock in that theory.

[Plutonic Panda]

No offense but that sounds ridiculous.

I wouldn't put much stock in that theory.

Good to know. I'll happily take looking stupid on here and be content that I know this isn't true.