Returning home via Will Rogers World Airport

[Patrick]

I keep hearing this mentioned by others, but I've had the same thought. Everytime I travel outside the state via flight, and return to OKC, I always look out the window of my plane as we land, and think, "God, I'm at the end of the earth....at least I think I can see it from here." And then there's the fun trip ride home through the rough parts of SW OKC. Really, the area around our airport comfirms all stereotypes people have of OKC. You look out the window, see flat land with no trees, typically with herds of cattle on it, and you might be lucky to see the short skyline of downtown in the distance. The empty landscapes are dotted by farm animals, with a few oil rigs here and there. We have invested too much money in our airport to move it, but I do wish we could do something to improve the landscape around it.

What's even worse, is when you're waiting to board the plane at one of the major hubs. Most of the folks waiting with you have cowboy hats, cowboy boots, etc. When I returned from LA awhile back, I even saw a guy with cowboy boots with the boots covering his boot cut jeans! And even better, the guy had for real spurs on his boots! Argh! Unfortunately, some of the stereotypes people have of OKC are indeed true, as much as we'd like to believe they're not.

[Doug Loudenback]

What you accurately describe is just part of who we are and that part is OK by me, Patrick. Looking in the mirror isn't a bad experience if you don't mind, and instead embrace, what you see there. It's OK!

[Patrick]

Very true, Doug.

[flintysooner]

I always think "what a wonderfully convenient and uncrowded airport" right after I think how glad I am to be home and able to breathe again.

[adaniel]

A few weeks ago when seeing some family in Freeport, Texas, I had to depart from Houston Hobby Airport. I flew in at night but I flew out during the day. When driving to the airport I passed by miles and miles of crappy apartments, homeless people, and generally crushing poverty that is pretty common in southeast Houston. My flight was about to depart when one of those lovely Houston downpours began and basically sat on top of the airport for an hour. The airport went into chaos and my flight was delayed and had to make that airport home for 3 hours. During that time I have never seen so many dudes in wranglers and boots (and not even "going to town" boots, the muddy kind you wear on the farm) in my life. I also am pretty sure I heard english spoken less than 50 percent of the time. Needless to say I am not looking forward to flying to see my cousin in Lubbock next month.

To make a long story short, I think its kinda hard to judge a place on its airport surroundings because most airports are going to be in the middle of nowhere or in a sketchy part of town. Its also not really fair to judge the people you see in an airport, although it is true that alot of people in central and Western Oklahoma utilize WRA and they may think a good pair of boots and pressed jeans is "dressy" enough. IMO I think our airport is a beautiful facility and represents the city very well. I definitely agree about the surroundings though. They aren't the prettiest and could use some sprucing up. But then again most people aren't going to cut through the worst part of the south side, they will use the interstates or Meridian Avenue.

[okcpulse]

Sprawl encroachment near the airport is inevidable. Mustang has already spilled outside its boundaries, and once the last leg of the Kilpatrick is complete, that's the final swab across the petri dish.

[BG918]

Hmm, what do you suggest we do about it? Central Oklahoma is flat and the western Metro is mostly farms and ranchland with few trees. You want to see hills and trees fly into Tulsa.

[Doug Loudenback]

Hmm, what do you suggest we do about it? Central Oklahoma is flat and the western Metro is mostly farms and ranchland with few trees. You want to see hills and trees fly into Tulsa.

Well, not necessarily. Don't you know that Oklahoma City, generally, was without trees in its infancy (aside from some scrub oaks / blackjacks here and there). The trees you see today in Heritage Hills, Mesta Park, etc., were all planted and grew and grew. Trees are absolutely doable ... they just take time to grow ... which they don't start doing until they are planted.

[julieriggs]

Having lived in four other states with the military, every time I flew back home and looked out the windows over my home state I first notice the dirt: that beautiful red clay ringing every lake and pond. I think Oklahoma is beautiful.

You see a cross section of society flying in to OKC, no less educated or sophisticated than the cross section of society you may fly with into NYC or LA. Probably a lot NICER people on that plane to Oklahoma, however.

[bombermwc]

My thoughts too julieriggs. So what if people hop on with cowboy hats....you don't think people do the same going to Texas?

Every time I get to Will Rogers, I think how much faster it is to get in and out. No traffic, always a parking space, less than 5 minutes total in security, only a couple minutes walk from there to the gate. It's really a great FAST airport.

No it's not big and lacks the ammeneties some of the larger airports have, but would you rather be Atlanta or O'Hare? NO WAY! Personally, I don't miss the fact that we lost the AA hub...too many freaking people!

[progressiveboy]

I think they did a good job on modernizing and updated WWWA. It really needed it and helps the image and "perception that people have of OKC. However, I have to agree that landscaping and planting of trees (thousands for that matter) would do wonders for the topography and terrain of the city. Right now, outsiders who travel into the airport may view the city in a negative connation as flat and ugly.As I have mentioned in other threads, image and perception are very important to OKC and helps in determing the outsiders views of the city.

[Patrick]

I agree that our new airport is absolutely beautiful. I really like the native stone mixed in with modern elements. So, I have all but praise for the building itself. I just wish that we could better landscape Meridian Avenue coming in and out of the airport, and possibly airport road. I'd love to see more trees, especially larger, fast growing trees like cypress, pines, etc.

[Kerry]

I keep hearing this mentioned by others, but I've had the same thought. Everytime I travel outside the state via flight, and return to OKC, I always look out the window of my plane as we land, and think, "God, I'm at the end of the earth....at least I think I can see it from here." And then there's the fun trip ride home through the rough parts of SW OKC. Really, the area around our airport comfirms all stereotypes people have of OKC. You look out the window, see flat land with no trees, typically with herds of cattle on it, and you might be lucky to see the short skyline of downtown in the distance. The empty landscapes are dotted by farm animals, with a few oil rigs here and there. We have invested too much money in our airport to move it, but I do wish we could do something to improve the landscape around it.

What's even worse, is when you're waiting to board the plane at one of the major hubs. Most of the folks waiting with you have cowboy hats, cowboy boots, etc. When I returned from LA awhile back, I even saw a guy with cowboy boots with the boots covering his boot cut jeans! And even better, the guy had for real spurs on his boots! Argh! Unfortunately, some of the stereotypes people have of OKC are indeed true, as much as we'd like to believe they're not.

Then don't dare step more than 20 feet from Atlanta Hartsfield. For some reason people of means don't want to live on the flight path of jet aircraft. However, poor people tend to flock there. Go figure. Show me one airport in the 'nice' part of town (other than Jacksonville and Orlando).

However, I do think WRWA would have been better if they had built the new terminal on the south side of the airport instead of spending all the money rebuilding the old one. It would have been a clean slate to work from.

As for passengers, it might be your airline. I normally fly Delta out of Atlanta but once I took Airtran to save $20. I won't make that mistake again. Nothing wrong with Airtran but the crowd it attracts is on the unrefined side. It is basically a step up from Greyhound.

[old okie]

Have flown in/out of numerous airports; only Hawaii has superior ones!

As for the clientele and their clothing, give me those cowboy boots and jeans ANY day over tank tops, short-shorts (sorry guys, but most of the gals wearing them are those who shouldn't), flip-flops (which ought to banned from planes; can't make emergency exits w/those things), and similar wear suitable only for the pool or the gym.

We are who we are in Oklahoma; it could be MUCH worse! And yes, the folks are nice at WRWA.

Yes, the way in/out of the airport could be improved by landscaping and better roads! But of all the out-of-towners we've ever had come in through our airport, not a single person complained about the look of the land. In fact several thought it pretty nice that we had oil wells, cattle, wheat, and the "land that seems to go forever to the horizon"."

I guess it's each to his/her own.

[oneforone]

While I will admit our airport area is not the Taj Mahal of airports. I have been to much worse. In most cities, the airport is surrounded by all the seedy parts of town most people would not admit exist.

One thing I think we need to lose in Oklahoma is the self conscious mentality so many people have about our state. They expect the state to be a paradise to outside visitors. What everyone needs to realize is that every state and city has it's eyesores. Oklahomans are the only ones who take the time to obsess about it.

NY has it's trash everywhere. LA has it's smog. Houston has nasty humity. New Orleans is just plain gross in some areas. (Note: I visted Pre Katrina) However, N O is one of the funnest places in the world. The food is some of the best in the world.

[foodiefan]

Well, not necessarily. Don't you know that Oklahoma City, generally, was without trees in its infancy (aside from some scrub oaks / blackjacks here and there). The trees you see today in Heritage Hills, Mesta Park, etc., were all planted and grew and grew. Trees are absolutely doable ... they just take time to grow ... which they don't start doing until they are planted.

. . .and nothing could "picture" this more pointedly than the pics of the Canal in the Oklahoman (Sunday, I believe) when it first opened and then today!!

[OKBound]

When we lived in Dallas, my husband hated going to DFW for the traffic to get there, the long security lines, very inconvenient to drive in and around and terminals that had no end. We didn't mind flying out of Love field, but the traffic could still be a mess and security could take a while and yes there are some very sketchy areas around there.

My husband loves flying out of WWWA! It's easy in, short security lines, and not miles of terminals to traverse. We recently flew to Houston landing at Hobby and you betcha, that airport is surrounded by the hood. Made our "hood" around WWWA seem tame.

[krisb]

Coming home to OKC recently I was delighted to see a culturally diverse mix of people on my flight...and all very friendly too! Let's shake this inferiority complex and start looking at the reality of how great our people are...regardless of how they dress.

[mburlison]

From people I know from all over, the ones who've actually visited the Oklahoma / Texas area have nothing but good things to say, especially about the people. Compared to many so-called 'hip' places, I'll take our culture in a heartbeat, hands-down, going-away, every-time. I'm proud to be one generation removed from ranching, farming and our Cowboy heritage. Down here in Texas, they have much the same heritage, difference is they are are proud of it and embrace it, most Oklahomans do as well. I refuse to believe any area is really stereotyped by their lowest denominator. Our area of the country is not without its warts, but I'll take ours any day over others.

[MikeOKC]

Show me one airport in the 'nice' part of town (other than Jacksonville and Orlando).

All over the country. They're in good parts of town, bad parts of town and in between. But Jax and Orlando don't have a corner on having airports in the "nice part of town."

DFW

Houston Intercontinental

Kansas City International (newer additions going in where nothing used to exist - it was in the middle of nowhere for years).

Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport (practically surrounded by nice neighborhoods)

San Francisco (San Mateo/San Bruno)

LAX (Culver City and El Segundo aren't exactly ghettos!)

Des Moines International

Portland (OR) International - one of the nicest airports in the world. Nice area.

It's been a while since I've been to some of the above, but all of those IIRC are in upper-middle to upper income areas.

You said "show me one" and I just showed you eight! And those are just off the top off my head.

[Luke]

I've never thought that visitors would think negatively of OKC arriving at our airport and driving out.

[metro]

This thread is dumb. Also San Diego is in nice part of town

[Kerry]

You said "show me one" and I just showed you eight! And those are just off the top off my head.

Thanks for the list Mike. I stand corrected.

[oneforone]

This thread is dumb. Also San Diego is in nice part of town

So move on to another thread..... There is many more to read besides this one.

[bretthexum]

Minneapolis/St Paul is in a nice suburb too. Mall of America is 5 min away.

I agree with most posters. Airport is fine, but fix up Meridian/Airport Rd. Kinda dumpy