Stillwater Flight Service Passenger Numbers Well Above 2017 Goal

[Bunty]

According to Stillwater City Manager, Norman McNickle, 51,000 passengers used American's direct service to Dallas in 2017. This is well above the goal of 10,000. McNickle said it's still in the "infancy stages". He added, "We would have to convince a commercial airline there is demand and it would be profitable to add another daily destination. If we can keep those numbers up and show there is a continued desire to fly out of Stillwater, the airlines will naturally come along."

From a survey of over 500 Stillwater residents, cities they would like to see Stillwater Regional Airport provide daily service to and from were: Denver 39%, Chicago 25%, Atlanta 13%, Washington, DC 6%, and other cities 17%.

Info from article in Stillwater News Press, Fri. Jan. 19, 2018.

[gopokes88]

Chicago will be next, Burns Hargis basically said as much.

This is also worth noting.

Large Airlines Flock Back to Midsize Cities
Lower fuel prices, competition from discount carriers increase the appeal of flying to smaller markets
American Airlines planes at Philadelphia International Airport in July.
American Airlines planes at Philadelphia International Airport in July. PHOTO: DANIEL SLIM/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
By Doug Cameron
Updated Jan. 22, 2018 2:28 p.m. ET
24 COMMENTS
Airlines are returning to midsize U.S. cities.

American Airlines Group Inc. AAL 0.07% plans to launch 49 new nonstop domestic flights in 2018, the carrier said last week, mirroring similar expansion over the past year by United Continental Holdings Inc. that is taking carriers back to places such as Fort Wayne, Ind.

The shifts reflect big changes in airline economics, including lower fuel prices, a desire by carriers to attract more passengers to their fortress hubs such as Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and competition on major routes from low-cost carriers that have driven down fares and taken market share.


For example, American is flying again between its Philadelphia hub and Fort Wayne, a route it dropped in August. The twice-daily flight adds another spoke to Philadelphia, bringing traffic that American can feed into its expanding international network.

“There are markets that we’re coming back to,” said Vasu Raja, American’s vice president for network and schedule planning.

Scott Hinderman, executive director of the Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority, said the route to Philadelphia was still profitable when American discontinued it. The authority and the local business community spent the fall and winter lobbying American to come back to an airport where traffic increased for the eighth consecutive year in 2017.

Small and midsize cities bore the brunt of domestic route cuts when jet-fuel prices spiked above $140 a barrel in 2011. Now, with jet fuel hovering around $83 a barrel, airline executives and analysts say adding flights from significant hubs to smaller destinations has become more attractive than expanding routes between major cities.

“Network carriers are focusing their growth on secondary cities because they are less likely to be attacked there by low-cost carriers,” said Hunter Keay at Wolfe Research LLC.

Other factors can also come into play. Mr. Raja said American has been able to take another look at its network now that the big milestones from its creation from a merger in 2013 have been completed. American also has a more flexible pilot contract than rivals, helping it outsource a larger number of flights to commuter airlines operating 50-seat jets, Mr. Keay said.


United has already beefed up service from hubs, returning to midsize cities such as Akron, Ohio, and adding new destinations like Appleton, Wis., over the past year under its president, Scott Kirby, a former American executive.

Analysts said the move addresses a weakness in United’s domestic network that the airline acknowledged. While it is the largest carrier by capacity at O’Hare, with American ranked second, its lead there is smaller than some rivals enjoy at their main hubs, such as Delta Air Lines Inc. at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport or American in Dallas/Fort Worth. Adding more spokes helps the hub to attract and maintain more business fliers, the most profitable segment for airlines.

Even with recent expansion, some of the smallest cities are still struggling to regain air service withdrawn in recent years. The Regional Airline Association, a trade group representing commuter carriers that fly on behalf of big airlines, said 20 smaller airports have lost network-carrier service over the past four years.

“The little places. It’s not happening,” said Michael Boyd, president of Boyd Group International Inc., a consultant who advises airports seeking to lure in airlines. He cited efforts by Chico, Calif., to reclaim network carrier service.

Just 60 travelers a day flew from Chico’s airport when United ceased flights in 2014, and its advisers said double that are needed to attract an airline, according to JetChico, a local nonprofit that is trying to restore network airline service to the college town. “We have enough passengers now to fill two flights a day,” said Sherry Miller, the airport manager.


One challenge for smaller cities is that airlines are running out of space to add more gates at their hubs, leading them to focus on larger destinations that can support bigger planes. Mr. Raja at American said part of its expansion this year was made possible by the airline securing eight more gates at O’Hare.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/large-a...ies-1516622400

[BG918]

Manhattan, KS is a similar market and has daily nonstops to DFW and ORD on AA, and used to have service to DEN on Great Lakes.

[no1cub17]

Yup there's definitely something to be said about having small markets all to yourself. NW was successful using this exact strategy. Cant even count the number of cities in Minnesota and North Dakota (for example) where they were the only show in town.

Happy for SWO - if anything maybe success there will keep OKC fares a bit more in check.

[catch22]

If I were Stillwater I would get on the phone with United. Part of United's 2018 domestic growth is centered around 50 seater flying in small markets. Having a link to Denver would be huge for them.

I don't think it's incredibly likely, but I would get on their radar while their network staff are being instructed to find small market opportunities.

CC: Lawton as well

[Bunty]

FAA names Stillwater Regional as Oklahoma Airport of the Year http://www.stwnewspress.com/news/faa...728e20b2c.html

[theanvil]

American Airlines has announced that they have added a third round trip flight from SWO to DFW. The third flight will be on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays and will start in June.

[gopokes88]

American Airlines has announced that they have added a third round trip flight from SWO to DFW. The third flight will be on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays and will start in June.

That’s fantastic

[Bunty]

The Stillwater paper said 100,000 passengers are expected to use American flights by this Fall.

[OUman]

Pretty cool to see the success of the DFW flights at SWO. Bodes well for additional service to/from the airport there.