Omaha Cowboy wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 3:00 pm
I was re-looking at the non-stop destinations map on the OMA web site..
The obvious missing void (to me at least) from the “mega-city” perspective, would be a direct flight from OMA to Boston (Logan)..
Another direct flight I think could have success (either year round or seasonal) would be OMA to New Orleans. I don’t know if in Eppley history, it’s ever provided a non stop to NOLA.. Perhaps one of our air experts can fill me in on that..
But anywho..
What do ya’ll think?. More specifically about potential OMA to NOLA non stop service...
Ciao..LiO...Peace
You've seen my list over time. Boston, JFK, Fort Lauderdale, Memphis, New Orleans, BWI, Dulles, etc.
As to New Orleans I honestly see no reason why not and given what's happened the last couple of years it certainly isn't out of the realm of possibility. Maybe Allegiant or Frontier. Southwest is possible but a longer shot.
I must say I admire Eppley's administration and management for not offering incentives and concentrating on keeping the service offered. I also admire them for their planning for expansion. Level headed. Everyone would love a brand new 30 gate terminal with all the goodies right now but in truth Omaha did right in the 80s with the current terminal and now with the planned one it is very well thought out and financing doesn't seem to be a problem, unlike Des Moines and Kansas City. Lurkers, tell the powers that be that they are doing a fine job. Well, and the rest of the Eppley crew too. You know who you are....
I’d love an OMA- MSY direct flight. They are currently building a new airport (completely - brand new on north side of airport property). Once open, capacity won’t be a problem. MSY has most definitely rebounded after Katrina and grown.
I’m not sure what carrier would even consider this. I guess we’d have to see who tries to expand out of there. Right now, WN seems to be the dominate carrier- the chances of a OMA-MSY flight with them is slim to none. Sorry
Mr. Nuke should tell us about the demand of that market from Omaha.
I see a BOS (WN or AA) soon and a LGA (WN).
My wish is NK to FLL- which a birdy told me isn’t too far outside the realm of possibilities. Wink wink
Didn't Omaha used to have service to Memphis? I know I've had a layover there before on my way to somewhere from Omaha, but I can't remember if my flight to Memphis started in Omaha.
"Video game violence is not a new problem. Who could forget in the wake of SimCity how children everywhere took up urban planning." - Stephen Colbert
TitosBuritoBarn wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 11:13 pm
Didn't Omaha used to have service to Memphis? I know I've had a layover there before on my way to somewhere from Omaha, but I can't remember if my flight to Memphis started in Omaha.
Yes- via NW. MEM used to be a hub of theirs, after DL merger it was dissolved. MEM used to have well over 10 million pax/yr. Now, it’s less busy than OMA.
Ryan Air wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 11:01 pm
I’d love an OMA- MSY direct flight. They are currently building a new airport (completely - brand new on north side of airport property). Once open, capacity won’t be a problem. MSY has most definitely rebounded after Katrina and grown.
I’m not sure what carrier would even consider this. I guess we’d have to see who tries to expand out of there. Right now, WN seems to be the dominate carrier- the chances of a OMA-MSY flight with them is slim to none. Sorry
Mr. Nuke should tell us about the demand of that market from Omaha.
I see a BOS (WN or AA) soon and a LGA (WN).
My wish is NK to FLL- which a birdy told me isn’t too far outside the realm of possibilities. Wink wink
That seems like it's up NK's alley.
I could see F9 to MSY, they're fond of that once-twice a week no-hub/no-spoke sked.
Wouldn't surprise me if someone taked a flyer (ha) on IND, too.
I've been doing a lot of flying lately (going to NYC weekly, for 3 months)... is the Omaha direct flight the |expletive| child of Newark? Gate is in a 'basement' area (up escalator often out)... they cancel it hours before a weather event even comes up (other flights in same corridor un-affected). Last two weeks, I've been left scrambling for connecting flights from other destinations. Flight out there is okay... never booking flight back again.
Shoot for the Moon... if you miss, you'll land among the stars.
Stargazer wrote: Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:35 am
I've been doing a lot of flying lately (going to NYC weekly, for 3 months)... is the Omaha direct flight the |expletive| child of Newark? Gate is in a 'basement' area (up escalator often out)... they cancel it hours before a weather event even comes up (other flights in same corridor un-affected). Last two weeks, I've been left scrambling for connecting flights from other destinations. Flight out there is okay... never booking flight back again.
Even when the weather is decent, it is still long slog to Manhattan and you still have to deal with NJ. Agreed, that I would rather have multiple stops and land in JFK than go through Newark again.
Stargazer wrote: Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:35 amI've been doing a lot of flying lately (going to NYC weekly, for 3 months)... is the Omaha direct flight the |expletive| child of Newark? Gate is in a 'basement' area (up escalator often out)... they cancel it hours before a weather event even comes up (other flights in same corridor un-affected). Last two weeks, I've been left scrambling for connecting flights from other destinations. Flight out there is okay... never booking flight back again.
I've had fairly good luck with that flight, even though I prefer the Delta flights into LGA. Last trip I remember, I'm sure we landed at a "real" gate, but yes, it took off from that three-figure downunder gate. I've seen them late, but so far no cancellations.
Coyote wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:59 pm
SWA is getting a $300k renovation (73k SF)
73,000 square feet is probably literally the entire front facing customer area of the terminal (and it says total building area). There is no way that square footage value is correct for the scope of whatever work Southwest is going to do. My guess is probably renovate their check-in area though.
Stargazer wrote: Sat Aug 04, 2018 8:35 am
I've been doing a lot of flying lately (going to NYC weekly, for 3 months)... is the Omaha direct flight the |expletive| child of Newark? Gate is in a 'basement' area (up escalator often out)... they cancel it hours before a weather event even comes up (other flights in same corridor un-affected). Last two weeks, I've been left scrambling for connecting flights from other destinations. Flight out there is okay... never booking flight back again.
2018 Q1 PDEW
Phoenix 415
Chicago 315
Denver 277
Las Vegas 256
Orlando 212
LA 209
DC 203
Dallas 199
NYC 168
Houston 142
San Francisco 137
Atlanta 125
San Diego 106
Tampa 105
Miami 103
Seattle 96
St Louis 88
Minneapolis 68
Fort Myers 60
Portland 56
Boston 54
Detroit 54
Salt Lake City 53
San Antonio 52
Charlotte 48
Nashville 45
Philadelphia 40
New Orleans 39
Sacramento 38
Austin 37
Sanford Fl 32
Raleigh Durham 32
Tucson 29
Indianapolis 27
Cleveland 27
Columbus Ohio 25
Punta Gorda 23
Palm Springs 21
Pittsburgh 20
Cincinnati 20
Jacksonville 20
Ryan Air wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 11:01 pm
I’d love an OMA- MSY direct flight. They are currently building a new airport (completely - brand new on north side of airport property). Once open, capacity won’t be a problem. MSY has most definitely rebounded after Katrina and grown.
I’m not sure what carrier would even consider this. I guess we’d have to see who tries to expand out of there. Right now, WN seems to be the dominate carrier- the chances of a OMA-MSY flight with them is slim to none. Sorry
Mr. Nuke should tell us about the demand of that market from Omaha.
Last 4 quarters PDEW 37, 31, 32, 39. No where near enough for WN to be interested. The only outside shot to me would be F9, who is seemingly willing to throw darts at a board, data be damned and see what happens when deciding future routes. But their decisions are impossible to predict. It will be curious to see how they do on PHL, AUS, and SAT.
Good news, Omaha-Ft Myers (RSW) is returning the middle of November.
Points of interest:
-Service is on Wednesday and Saturday
-Times are good
-Allegiant is not coming back to Punta Gordo as of right now this winter.
-Flights start mid-November vs end of October.
-Forward booking window is much longer than last year.
Last year, some days were good but most were just fair as far as loads. I think all the items above will make RSW successful this winter and much better results than last year from a financial standpoint.
Now Eppley just needs to get this into the newspaper...free advertisement. Des Moines does a very good job of getting all service enhancements into the paper and lots of time front page! I wish the OWH worked closely with Eppley to get better exposure, interviews etc about new service. I do give them credit, it is way better coverage than it used to be though!
joleo wrote: Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:33 pm
Good news, Omaha-Ft Myers (RSW) is returning the middle of November.
Points of interest:
-Service is on Wednesday and Saturday
-Times are good
-Allegiant is not coming back to Punta Gordo as of right now this winter.
-Flights start mid-November vs end of October.
-Forward booking window is much longer than last year.
Last year, some days were good but most were just fair as far as loads. I think all the items above will make RSW successful this winter and much better results than last year from a financial standpoint.
Now Eppley just needs to get this into the newspaper...free advertisement. Des Moines does a very good job of getting all service enhancements into the paper and lots of time front page! I wish the OWH worked closely with Eppley to get better exposure, interviews etc about new service. I do give them credit, it is way better coverage than it used to be though!
We never “lost” RSW or PDX or MIA - it was assumed we wouldn’t be getting service back due to info on schedules released. Carriers change and update schedules. As they do, things can change. RSW, MIA, and PDX are back. This is sort of a “fluid” forum.
OWH sucks- I honestly couldn’t care any less about what they cover. They just get their info here anyway.
People booking trips know where to go.
Besides my grandpa, I don’t know a single person who subscribes to the OWH anymore. It’s like cable - waste of money.
Ryan Air wrote: Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:52 pm
We never “lost” RSW or PDX or MIA - it was assumed we wouldn’t be getting service back due to info on schedules released. Carriers change and update schedules. As they do, things can change. RSW, MIA, and PDX are back. This is sort of a “fluid” forum.
OWH sucks- I honestly couldn’t care any less about what they cover. They just get their info here anyway.
People booking trips know where to go.
Besides my grandpa, I don’t know a single person who subscribes to the OWH anymore. It’s like cable - waste of money.
The Frontier schedule was released a month ago and OMA-RSW was not loaded. It was just loaded today. Sounds like to me the decision hadn't been made on extending it at that time because everything else for the winter was loaded at that time. ie MCO, LAS, DEN etc.
PDX...schedule is out through June on Alaska, nothing yet on it coming back. Hopefully it does. Jet fuel doubling in the past year MAY have killed this long, thin route.
MIA was originally year-round and cancelled, then 2 months later AA decided to bring it back seasonally over the winter.
Ryan Air wrote: Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:52 pm
We never “lost” RSW or PDX or MIA - it was assumed we wouldn’t be getting service back due to info on schedules released. Carriers change and update schedules. As they do, things can change. RSW, MIA, and PDX are back. This is sort of a “fluid” forum.
OWH sucks- I honestly couldn’t care any less about what they cover. They just get their info here anyway.
People booking trips know where to go.
Besides my grandpa, I don’t know a single person who subscribes to the OWH anymore. It’s like cable - waste of money.
The Frontier schedule was released a month ago and OMA-RSW was not loaded. It was just loaded today. Sounds like to me the decision hadn't been made on extending it at that time because everything else for the winter was loaded at that time. ie MCO, LAS, DEN etc.
PDX...schedule is out through June on Alaska, nothing yet on it coming back. Hopefully it does. Jet fuel doubling in the past year MAY have killed this long, thin route.
MIA was originally year-round and cancelled, then 2 months later AA decided to bring it back seasonally over the winter.
I am flying on Alaska direct to Portland from Eppley on Thursday.
Ryan Air wrote: Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:52 pm
We never “lost” RSW or PDX or MIA - it was assumed we wouldn’t be getting service back due to info on schedules released. Carriers change and update schedules. As they do, things can change. RSW, MIA, and PDX are back. This is sort of a “fluid” forum.
OWH sucks- I honestly couldn’t care any less about what they cover. They just get their info here anyway.
People booking trips know where to go.
Besides my grandpa, I don’t know a single person who subscribes to the OWH anymore. It’s like cable - waste of money.
The Frontier schedule was released a month ago and OMA-RSW was not loaded. It was just loaded today. Sounds like to me the decision hadn't been made on extending it at that time because everything else for the winter was loaded at that time. ie MCO, LAS, DEN etc.
PDX...schedule is out through June on Alaska, nothing yet on it coming back. Hopefully it does. Jet fuel doubling in the past year MAY have killed this long, thin route.
MIA was originally year-round and cancelled, then 2 months later AA decided to bring it back seasonally over the winter.
PDX is back June 2019
You’re not getting my point.
I know the schedules didn’t reflect it.
But it came back.
So it was never lost
We are aviation geeks here. The rest of the world is not. When a destination is “lost” for a few weeks until the airline changes its mind, the rest of the world doesn’t know about it.
But thanks for the recap- because I’m an idiot who can’t remember what I read.
You should update the DSM forum about the seasonal service not coming back there. I’ve noticed that forum is lacking some updates.
Coyote wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:59 pm
SWA is getting a $300k renovation (73k SF)
Gates? Ticket counter? Employee break room?
What is being renovated?
It only says:
Interior remodel for SWA at Eppley Airfield (OMA)
Southwest Airlines, Inc. Total Building Area: 72712
Ugh... only boring operations “behind the scene” stuff apparently. I thought for sure they were taking the vacant ticketing spot next to them. Maybe they’re expanding behind that spot? Then will add more check-ins in front? Either way, they need more check-in positions. I find it weird they’d spend money to enhance operations behind but not in front. But we shall see.
Coyote wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:59 pm
SWA is getting a $300k renovation (73k SF)
Gates? Ticket counter? Employee break room?
What is being renovated?
It only says:
Interior remodel for SWA at Eppley Airfield (OMA)
Southwest Airlines, Inc. Total Building Area: 72712
U Either way, they need more check-in positions. I find it weird they’d spend money to enhance operations behind but not in front. But we shall see.
I just flew out in Southwest last week and they must have at least 10-15 if not more self check kiosks. The slow down was their was only 2 people to handle the luggage once we had all checked in. So we could self check but then had to get to the end of another line to drop off our luggage. I a,guess there was room for at least 3 more employees to take luggage.
Coyote wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:59 pm
SWA is getting a $300k renovation (73k SF)
Gates? Ticket counter? Employee break room?
What is being renovated?
It only says:
Interior remodel for SWA at Eppley Airfield (OMA)
Southwest Airlines, Inc. Total Building Area: 72712
U Either way, they need more check-in positions. I find it weird they’d spend money to enhance operations behind but not in front. But we shall see.
I just flew out in Southwest last week and they must have at least 10-15 if not more self check kiosks. The slow down was their was only 2 people to handle the luggage once we had all checked in. So we could self check but then had to get to the end of another line to drop off our luggage. I a,guess there was room for at least 3 more employees to take luggage.
Agreed- they never seem to have enough people. But at peak times (and I’m there more than I want to be) the lines are way longer than they should be or could be. 5 or 6 WN flights before 7 A.M. can easily cramp the north side of the terminal, even with all the self-check machines.
Coyote wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:59 pm
SWA is getting a $300k renovation (73k SF)
Gates? Ticket counter? Employee break room?
What is being renovated?
It only says:
Interior remodel for SWA at Eppley Airfield (OMA)
Southwest Airlines, Inc. Total Building Area: 72712
U Either way, they need more check-in positions. I find it weird they’d spend money to enhance operations behind but not in front. But we shall see.
I just flew out in Southwest last week and they must have at least 10-15 if not more self check kiosks. The slow down was their was only 2 people to handle the luggage once we had all checked in. So we could self check but then had to get to the end of another line to drop off our luggage. I a,guess there was room for at least 3 more employees to take luggage.
Agreed- they never seem to have enough people. But at peak times (and I’m there more than I want to be) the lines are way longer than they should be or could be. 5 or 6 WN flights before 7 A.M. can easily cramp the north side of the terminal, even with all the self-check machines.
It doesn't matter how many self checks they have if they can't put enough people on the counter to grab bags --- they probably need to look at a different solution for when people do the self check besides counter people
Upgraded Points took a comprehensive look at 60 airports across the U.S., compiling data from multiple sources to pick definitive winners and losers.
The main categories that we considered in our calculations were:
Overall satisfaction scores
Timeliness of flights (flight delays and cancellations)
Ease of access to the city center (public transportation options, transportation costs, and time)
Airport amenities (lounge access and Wi-Fi).
Yikes... there are now three publication this year ranking OMA among the worst. It’s not like we didn’t know these things. When you start playing in the big(er) leagues, you better look the part. Over 5 or 6 million passengers annually comes with standards beyond “its clean” and “the walk to the gate isn’t bad”. Those standards are gone and applicable to much smaller airports. Now we must have things like food and shops and space and lounges and excellent WiFi... which is fair. 15,000 pax a day requires bigger, better, more.
Again, we’ve been saying it for years. Amenities at OMA are worse than DSM and even FSD, which are significantly less busy than OMA, not by an inch- but by miles. Wichita and Oklahoma City are not even in the same amenities league... they’re so far better it’s not even comparable.
I think some people complain for the sake of complaining.. Does Eppley need to step up on it’s amenities options? Certainly.. And it is a Top 60 busiest airport.. likely to draw over 5 million passengers in 2018..
But the fact remains, Eppley is one of the most user friendly, relatively hassle free airports in the US.. It’s ranking on that list (as is the case with all these best and worst of lists) is purely subjective.. the actual “truth” lies somewhere in the middle...
I like to do things at the airport while I’m waiting.
I like fast WiFi and space to actually sit.
I like to have space to get my shoes back on
I like to have good coffee and food choices because I fly out in the morning.
High ceilings and a few good stores makes all the difference to me.
I’d imagine there are a lot like me out there. The customer experience at Eppley is not what I’d describe as “good”. It’s not terrible.
The airlines and God are in control of your flight. Because they have good operations someplace (and He gave good weather), doesn’t make the airport good. The airport can control other aspects and Eppley has got away with not having to try very hard (until recently). The addition of Twitter and an App and parking and rental car stuff helps.
Like I said, it’s not just about “flying in and out”’anymore.
That’s due to good airline scheduling and level of volume.
The bad press from different sources isn’t unfounded or based off “nothing”.
The airport, in my opinion, is something separate to the airlines.
Miami's airport had numerous roof leaks with rigged drainage to lead the water to garbage cans with more birds in the terminal than could be considered an abnormality. Along with virtually no outlets among seats, only outlets were at a kiosk. Maybe the terminal we were in was a bad one, but that was probably the worst I had seen at a large airport.
Eppley is perfectly adequate. Probably not worth the expense to make it "world class." Biggest thing is to make it all one terminal. Would be able to support better/more food, coffee, bar options with everyone in the same terminal. That and do something to ease the front drive and Eppley will continue to do its job for a long time. We aren't like KC with a functionally obsolete design.
Love in Dallas would be my personal wish to imitate in Omaha. Similar sized(gate wise not passenger wise), well run, clean, easy to navigate.
Ok easy, folks. I never said OMA was not adequate. It is dated and lacks amenities- especially in boarding areas. Like it or not, these were the criteria used in the ranking. It can be crowded, too. The combination of these do not make for the ideal customer experience. They just don’t. OMA is not a nice airport. It’s a building that serves its purpose. There’s opportunity to change that and make it interesting and I hope that opportunity is taken. That’s all I’m saying.
The front drive needs to change.
Food and shop options need to be available in boarding areas (a requirement by some airlines for connections)
WiFi needs to be improved
I’m not saying the plans should include a Goliath DFW-style airport. But it is worth the money to make it world-class and nice. No half-assing.
Perfectly adequate is boring and for old people. If the new rental car facility is any indication of how things will go, we need not worry about boring... that cool modern style is what I’m feeling.
