Chamber-led task force targets air service expansion in OKC

Improving Oklahoma City’s air service is the goal of a new task force formed by the Chamber. Chaired by Burns Hargis, former chair of the Chamber and former president of Oklahoma State University, the task force is comprised of airport representatives, Airport Trust members, and business leaders interested in working together to provide valuable information to airlines as they consider expansion in the market.  

OKC Will Rogers International Airport staff are dedicated to this work and routinely engage with airlines in one-on-one meetings and at air service conferences throughout the year. The goal of the Chamber effort is to enhance the information they can provide to airlines, with intelligence on business and visitor growth in the area that supports growing demand.  

To assist with the effort, the Chamber has engaged an air service consultant. While the airport has a consultant working with them to provide data and support to the effort, the Chamber consultant provides the community with tools and processes to aid the airport effort.  

One of those activities is a survey of businesses about their air service needs. “This survey is a vital piece of our committee’s work,” explains Hargis. “We went into the field last week and every Chamber member company received an invitation to participate via email. This survey will give us vital intelligence to consolidate information about current and future demand that we can’t see in existing travel patterns. We strongly encourage every member to complete the survey.”  

Air service, and particularly the number of nonstop flights, has fluctuated since the pandemic, primarily due to challenges in the airline industry and restructuring of networks due to demand. “These changes have definitely impacted Oklahoma City, even as our traffic is growing,” said Jeff Mulder, director of airports for the City of Oklahoma City. “We have seen the majority of service we lost due to the pandemic return, and as airlines continue to rebuild traffic at key locations, we expect other service to return in the next year.”  

As an example, OKC is expected to add service next year to Philadelphia, a route that was suspended due to the pandemic. Also expected next year is a return to service via Southwest to Dallas Love, along with expanded service to Chicago and Nashville. New service added in the last year includes additional frequency/additional flights nonstop to Seattle and Atlanta, and the return of nonstop international service with a weekly flight to Cancun set to launch in November.  

The announcements for next year also include the discontinuation of nonstop service to St. Louis and San Antonio by Southwest. “It is clear that Southwest is making significant changes in their overall operations with stronger focus on Chicago, Dallas, and Nashville as connecting cities,” explains Mulder. “We will continue to work with them on how these changes will impact our market.  

If you would like more information about the task force or its work, reach out to Cynthia Reid at [email protected], 405-297-8942.