Omaha Eppley Airfield - DISCUSSION

[almighty_tuna]

As far as the Toronto flights, customs ops were performed pre-flight in Toronto so a commercial customs facility was not required in Omaha.

The only thing I can think of is gate capacity limitations at LNK for that plane (including stairs tall enough to reach the doors if enplaning from the apron). Customs limitations would not necessarily apply since they're flying TO Ireland. My guess is on the return trip they will either go through Customs pre-flight like in Toronto or have the local Omaha Customs agency perform inspection prior to deplaning. At least that's what I've seen Omaha Customs & BP do in the past for private planes arriving from abroad.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

Eppley employee snapped a pic of the plane the Huskers left for Ireland on. They noted it was an Airbus A330-300. A bit surprised they flew out of OMA as LNK has a long enough runway and I wouldn't think another 60 miles would be an issue for that plane, but maybe it was the international flight and OMA was able to have flights to/from Toronto for a time?

EDIT: Tuna covered what I was going to say about Toronto but I'll add that my brother-in-law works for Duncan Aviation in Lincoln, which uses LNK runways, and I understand they have planes come in from international destinations for work. So, I'm not sure if it's any international flight capacity that Eppley has over LNK.

[TransitOriented]

You'd think with WFH, it would be paramount to offer multiple, nonstop flights to SFO/OAK.

Just need to land in SFO by 10:00am

Kansai flight is at 11:!5am
Tokyo flights start after 1pm
Seoul flights start after noon
Singapore flight at 1:30pm
Taipei flight at 4:30pm

[damonhynes]

Eppley employee snapped a pic of the plane the Huskers left for Ireland on. They noted it was an Airbus A330-300. A bit surprised they flew out of OMA as LNK has a long enough runway and I wouldn't think another 60 miles would be an issue for that plane, but maybe it was the international flight and OMA was able to have flights to/from Toronto for a time?

EDIT: Tuna covered what I was going to say about Toronto but I'll add that my brother-in-law works for Duncan Aviation in Lincoln, which uses LNK runways, and I understand they have planes come in from international destinations for work. So, I'm not sure if it's any international flight capacity that Eppley has over LNK.

There was a Mexican MD-80 in LNK this week, the cynic in me thought they were bringing in Central American gentlemen, but no.

[riceweb]

Fairly off-topic wild idea here: is there any value in creating an integrating rail/air experience at Eppley? I'm wondering if at some point, the Omaha/Des Moines/Lincoln/Sioux City airports could all effectively be merged by higher-speed rail. There could be a truly integrated customer experience where a trip on the light rail is code-shared with the airlines, there's a single security process, your bags can be checked onto the train and transferred to your next flight, etc. and you connect to Eppley in 30-45 minutes.

Communities like Fremont/Columbus/Grand Island/Norfolk could be incorporated as well, depending on the goals of the system.

And such a system could be part of a broader transit system that offers a quick streetcar or light-rail ride into downtown Omaha.

Just throwing out this wild idea. But maybe it's time to seriously think about how our airport could serve multiple metro areas more effectively and in turn offer more direct flights out of Omaha, in turn driving economic growth for our city.

[nativeomahan]

Thinking outside the box is always nice.
But telling residents of DSM (well over a half million people), or Lancaster County (close to 300,000) that they HAD to get on a bus or train or whatever in order to leave home would generate one of the greatest schitstorms the world has ever seen. How would Omahans feel if Eppley were closed down and everyone told to get on a bus or train to the KC airport (about as far from Omaha as central Iowa)?

[Bob from Omaha]

Thinking outside the box is always nice.
But telling residents of DSM (well over a half million people), or Lancaster County (close to 300,000) that they HAD to get on a bus or train or whatever in order to leave home would generate one of the greatest schitstorms the world has ever seen. How would Omahans feel if Eppley were closed down and everyone told to get on a bus or train to the KC airport (about as far from Omaha as central Iowa)?

I doubt as many come to OMA from Des Moines as years ago but how many Lincolnites already come to Omaha to fly?
I get that there is an attitude on the part of many to try to fly LNK whenever possible but the fact is that in 2019 LNK carried over 300,000 while OMA served over 5 Million. I have no numbers but I'd guess quite a few of those 5 Million had Lancaster County plates.

By the way, I suppose it's possible that a majority of those flying to the UNL game were from Omaha so those who arranged the trip may have chosen Eppley for that convenience. Just a thought.

[Cermak]

Thinking outside the box is always nice.
But telling residents of DSM (well over a half million people), or Lancaster County (close to 300,000) that they HAD to get on a bus or train or whatever in order to leave home would generate one of the greatest schitstorms the world has ever seen. How would Omahans feel if Eppley were closed down and everyone told to get on a bus or train to the KC airport (about as far from Omaha as central Iowa)?

I doubt as many come to OMA from Des Moines as years ago but how many Lincolnites already come to Omaha to fly?
I get that there is an attitude on the part of many to try to fly LNK whenever possible but the fact is that in 2019 LNK carried over 300,000 while OMA served over 5 Million. I have no numbers but I'd guess quite a few of those 5 Million had Lancaster County plates.

By the way, I suppose it's possible that a majority of those flying to the UNL game were from Omaha so those who arranged the trip may have chosen Eppley for that convenience. Just a thought.

I have a relative from DM they were going to Alaska for a wedding this summer and they flew out of Omaha ( Alaska Airlines) They said Omaha had one fewer flight change, just two instead of three for DM. I'm sure it was cheaper as well but not sure how much.

[riceweb]

Thinking outside the box is always nice.
But telling residents of DSM (well over a half million people), or Lancaster County (close to 300,000) that they HAD to get on a bus or train or whatever in order to leave home would generate one of the greatest schitstorms the world has ever seen. How would Omahans feel if Eppley were closed down and everyone told to get on a bus or train to the KC airport (about as far from Omaha as central Iowa)?

Did I say force people into a single option? I'm instead proposing an Acela Amtrak-type system that goes 160mph that's tightly integrated with the airports: bookings in advance, assigned seats, "codesharing" and checked luggage agreements with airlines, and basically another gate or two at the airport that works like any other gate, but instead of taking a plane, you take a short trip to Omaha.

Or if that's not for you, you still hop on a plane at DSM or LNK just like before. The advantage would be that instead of just a few flight options, you'd immediately have access to dozens of direct flights out of OMA just a few minutes away.

[nativeomahan]

But how much would the train cost, which would add to your travel expenses? The 26 mile round trip from downtown Denver to DEN costs $41. At that rate a 250 mile round trip from downtown Des Moines would cost about $400. And a 120 mile round trip from downtown Lincoln would cost about $200.

[Bearcat06]

But how much would the train cost, which would add to your travel expenses? The 26 mile round trip from downtown Denver to DEN costs $41. At that rate a 250 mile round trip from downtown Des Moines would cost about $400. And a 120 mile round trip from downtown Lincoln would cost about $200.

I don't hate the idea and thinking outside the box, but I'd agree the infrastructure build out for something like this would be enormous and expensive. Seeing as how Omaha/Nebraska already seems to cheap out on roads that need to be replaced every 2 years or so (i.e. lets just patch w/ asphalt or just do a 2 inch overlay and call it good), I couldn't see anyone wanting to front such an expense.

OMA is never going to be KCI, but solidifying their catchment area couldn't hurt. I would think cutting down travel time from say Grand Island or Norfolk from 2-2.5 hours to 30 mins or so would be enticing to some depending on the cost.

[nativeomahan]

It never hurts to dream big.
Sometimes the scary part is waking up.

[Athomsfere]

But how much would the train cost, which would add to your travel expenses? The 26 mile round trip from downtown Denver to DEN costs $41. At that rate a 250 mile round trip from downtown Des Moines would cost about $400. And a 120 mile round trip from downtown Lincoln would cost about $200.

I don't hate the idea and thinking outside the box, but I'd agree the infrastructure build out for something like this would be enormous and expensive. Seeing as how Omaha/Nebraska already seems to cheap out on roads that need to be replaced every 2 years or so (i.e. lets just patch w/ asphalt or just do a 2 inch overlay and call it good), I couldn't see anyone wanting to front such an expense.

OMA is never going to be KCI, but solidifying their catchment area couldn't hurt. I would think cutting down travel time from say Grand Island or Norfolk from 2-2.5 hours to 30 mins or so would be enticing to some depending on the cost.

It's not like building out the freeways were free though. And the freeway being the faster wearing, least efficient mode of travel possible: We did and keep adding to it.

And I wouldn't say Omaha will never be KCI. With the KC metros growth patterns the last 30 years, and Omaha + Lincoln's... The Omaha- Lincoln CSA would be bigger than KC's metro in about 168 years... (In 2190).

But, I could see Omaha being a great anchor for the mid-mid-west. It's a good location to share services with Lincoln, DSM, Sioux City, and Sioux Falls. If we could capture that as part of the Epply catchment, we could see OMA become bigger than KCI pretty quick, IMO. As that would be, what, 2.4 million people theoretically servable.

[Bearcat06]

But how much would the train cost, which would add to your travel expenses? The 26 mile round trip from downtown Denver to DEN costs $41. At that rate a 250 mile round trip from downtown Des Moines would cost about $400. And a 120 mile round trip from downtown Lincoln would cost about $200.

I don't hate the idea and thinking outside the box, but I'd agree the infrastructure build out for something like this would be enormous and expensive. Seeing as how Omaha/Nebraska already seems to cheap out on roads that need to be replaced every 2 years or so (i.e. lets just patch w/ asphalt or just do a 2 inch overlay and call it good), I couldn't see anyone wanting to front such an expense.

OMA is never going to be KCI, but solidifying their catchment area couldn't hurt. I would think cutting down travel time from say Grand Island or Norfolk from 2-2.5 hours to 30 mins or so would be enticing to some depending on the cost.

It's not like building out the freeways were free though. And the freeway being the faster wearing, least efficient mode of travel possible: We did and keep adding to it.

And I wouldn't say Omaha will never be KCI. With the KC metros growth patterns the last 30 years, and Omaha + Lincoln's... The Omaha- Lincoln CSA would be bigger than KC's metro in about 168 years... (In 2190).

But, I could see Omaha being a great anchor for the mid-mid-west. It's a good location to share services with Lincoln, DSM, Sioux City, and Sioux Falls. If we could capture that as part of the Epply catchment, we could see OMA become bigger than KCI pretty quick, IMO. As that would be, what, 2.4 million people theoretically servable.

Agree on the freeway thing. In general the US has pretty shoddy mass transit compared to other countries. The counter argument being look at the size of the US compared to European countries or Japan. But yeah if you build a light rail system or something similar and you can get me from Elkhorn to Eppley in 10 minutes vs 30-40 minutes for a reasonable fee and that transit runs consistently during airport hours, I'd be down.

As far as OMA overtaking KCI, back on the 18th I posted about KCI bidding for a direct flight to London claiming they had 5 million people in their catchment within 2.5 hours of KCI. So even with 2.4 million in the OMA catchment we'd still only be at half of KCIs estimates.

I'd think OMA has a hard time catching up there because there is likely some battle for the same passengers between SW Iowa, NE Kansas, NW Missouri and SE Nebraska and I'd venture to say KCI could leverage to offer better pricing and flight options. Not saying it can't happen, but it doesn't appear very likely in our lifetime.

[TransitOriented]

if you build a light rail system or something similar and you can get me from Elkhorn to Eppley in 10 minutes

This is will not happen. 18 miles in 10 mins is 108 MPH (That's basically a straight line from A to B). It means you could not have any stops between Elkhorn and Eppley. Any stops would instantly make the trip over 10 minutes.

[ita]

Fairly off-topic wild idea here: is there any value in creating an integrating rail/air experience at Eppley? I'm wondering if at some point, the Omaha/Des Moines/Lincoln/Sioux City airports could all effectively be merged by higher-speed rail. There could be a truly integrated customer experience where a trip on the light rail is code-shared with the airlines, there's a single security process, your bags can be checked onto the train and transferred to your next flight, etc. and you connect to Eppley in 30-45 minutes.

Communities like Fremont/Columbus/Grand Island/Norfolk could be incorporated as well, depending on the goals of the system.

And such a system could be part of a broader transit system that offers a quick streetcar or light-rail ride into downtown Omaha.

Just throwing out this wild idea. But maybe it's time to seriously think about how our airport could serve multiple metro areas more effectively and in turn offer more direct flights out of Omaha, in turn driving economic growth for our city.

While these are definitely pie in the sky ideas, the Chamber's urban core plan takes into account rail transit connecting the metro and region, so you are not too far off field about connecting Eppley with the region via rail.

Over time, as the Urban Core builds on its momentum, additional modes of transportation will be necessary. These long-range investments could include fixed-rail transit options such as light rail, commuter rail, and inter-city/high speed rail. Light rail could help connect neighborhoods along the periphery of the metro area to the Urban Core. Commuter rail would be appropriate for connecting Lincoln and Omaha’s bedroom communities such as Gretna and Fremont with the Urban Core, and inter-city/high speed rail has been studied for connections to the east, such as Des Moines, the Quad-cities, and Chicago. A central station, preferably near the historic Union Station, would help tie the commuter and high-speed rail together with Proposed Future Fixed-Rail Transit Routes the streetcar into a comprehensive system

Black lines represent future rail transit:

[joleo]

Thinking outside the box is always nice.
But telling residents of DSM (well over a half million people), or Lancaster County (close to 300,000) that they HAD to get on a bus or train or whatever in order to leave home would generate one of the greatest schitstorms the world has ever seen. How would Omahans feel if Eppley were closed down and everyone told to get on a bus or train to the KC airport (about as far from Omaha as central Iowa)?

I doubt as many come to OMA from Des Moines as years ago but how many Lincolnites already come to Omaha to fly?
I get that there is an attitude on the part of many to try to fly LNK whenever possible but the fact is that in 2019 LNK carried over 300,000 while OMA served over 5 Million. I have no numbers but I'd guess quite a few of those 5 Million had Lancaster County plates.

By the way, I suppose it's possible that a majority of those flying to the UNL game were from Omaha so those who arranged the trip may have chosen Eppley for that convenience. Just a thought.

I have a relative from DM they were going to Alaska for a wedding this summer and they flew out of Omaha ( Alaska Airlines) They said Omaha had one fewer flight change, just two instead of three for DM. I'm sure it was cheaper as well but not sure how much.

I think lots of bleed going both ways now.

Examples:
My cousin's family drove Omaha to Des Moines for nonstop cheap allegiant flight to Palm Springs last winter. He said the people next to him in the gate area were from Lincoln and drove to DSM. Allegiant is so cheap sometimes!

My flight CLT-DSM I was over hearing conversation of people from Omaha that drove to DSM to fly to Florida through CLT because of price, I don't know the details.

My friend the did a triathlon in Oregon in July drove Omaha to Des Moines this summer for the cheaper, nonstop flight Des Moines to Portland on Allegiant.

I think Allegiant with 17 nonstop cities from DSM now is really starting to change the market and people are driving from a long ways to get the cheap flights here. Allegiant started a 4-plane DSM base and the flight options really expanded here, I chatted with a gate agent at DSM airport in late June, I asked how many Nebraska ID's she is seeing, she said lots depending on the flight.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

What's it like to fly on Allegiant? is it comparable to Spirit with their lack of amenities and the need to really pay attention to navigate their fee system?

[TransitOriented]

What's it like to fly on Allegiant? is it comparable to Spirit with their lack of amenities and the need to really pay attention to navigate their fee system?

I've used in many times to Mesa (I'm a United premier member), and it is typically full of people that are happy to be going on vacation. However since it's twice a week service, when the flight is cancelled you're really in a world of hurt. Knock on wood, but it has only happened to me once and cost me $500 to book a last minute flight home the next day.

[Bearcat06]

Not sure if I might have missed this, but is runway 18/36 back open? Was watching my wife's flight come in tonight in flightradar24 and it showed them landing on that runway.

[jjjjhskr]

It’s official, United restarts flights from OMA to SFO September 7

[blueblood]

Just home from the inaugural SF to Omaha flight. Left early and home 20 minutes late.

[joleo]

Thinking outside the box is always nice.
But telling residents of DSM (well over a half million people), or Lancaster County (close to 300,000) that they HAD to get on a bus or train or whatever in order to leave home would generate one of the greatest schitstorms the world has ever seen. How would Omahans feel if Eppley were closed down and everyone told to get on a bus or train to the KC airport (about as far from Omaha as central Iowa)?

I doubt as many come to OMA from Des Moines as years ago but how many Lincolnites already come to Omaha to fly?
I get that there is an attitude on the part of many to try to fly LNK whenever possible but the fact is that in 2019 LNK carried over 300,000 while OMA served over 5 Million. I have no numbers but I'd guess quite a few of those 5 Million had Lancaster County plates.

By the way, I suppose it's possible that a majority of those flying to the UNL game were from Omaha so those who arranged the trip may have chosen Eppley for that convenience. Just a thought.

I have a relative from DM they were going to Alaska for a wedding this summer and they flew out of Omaha ( Alaska Airlines) They said Omaha had one fewer flight change, just two instead of three for DM. I'm sure it was cheaper as well but not sure how much.

I think lots of bleed going both ways now.

Examples:
My cousin's family drove Omaha to Des Moines for nonstop cheap allegiant flight to Palm Springs last winter. He said the people next to him in the gate area were from Lincoln and drove to DSM. Allegiant is so cheap sometimes!

My flight CLT-DSM I was over hearing conversation of people from Omaha that drove to DSM to fly to Florida through CLT because of price, I don't know the details.

My friend the did a triathlon in Oregon in July drove Omaha to Des Moines this summer for the cheaper, nonstop flight Des Moines to Portland on Allegiant.

I think Allegiant with 17 nonstop cities from DSM now is really starting to change the market and people are driving from a long ways to get the cheap flights here. Allegiant started a 4-plane DSM base and the flight options really expanded here, I chatted with a gate agent at DSM airport in late June, I asked how many Nebraska ID's she is seeing, she said lots depending on the flight.

Just heard of another example of Omaha Bleed to DSM. Bachelorette Party with a dozen people, all from Omaha area, are driving to DSM for the nonstop DSM-SAN in a few weeks. I was told right around $200 roundtrip per person including a bag and Omaha was twice that price and had to connect.

If these are just a few examples that I have heard of, I think there might be more bleed to DSM than people realize and the airport stats might be proving that. I think Eppley should really work hard to try and get more Allegiant flights. OMA-San Diego, Palm Springs, Nashville, Portland, Orange County and Newark would all make sense based off where they are servicing from Des Moines. None of those cities have nonstop Omaha except for Nashville and that is only on Sundays.

[Bob from Omaha]

OMA broke through 5 million a couple of years ago. It did it without bribing airlines to bring service, to the best of my knowledge. I've said I have zero problem with DSM's success. Good for them. I know OMA staff are in regular contact with the airlines. What I have yet to see is a more aggressive campaign on OMA's behalf to bring service.

I've asked Nuke about this over the years. Boston, New Orleans, JFK, BWI, Dulles, Fort Lauderdale, etc. Also, leisure destinations like Charlston, SC. and others. Yes, I know about PDEW but sometimes in business supply or potential supply can create demand.

Alaska cut back from Portland and (I don't remember if it was San Francisco or San Diego)
Frontier is flaky and has cut back early and often.
Southwest has a nice selection of destinations from OMA but actual growth in frequency isn't there.
The big three legacy carriers could also grow.
Now for Allegiant. Again, no problem with DSM's success but why so little growth from OMA? You could make the same claim for KCI. They don't call me to get my opinion but still.
Spirit flies from smaller airports and markets than OMA and the merger with Jetblue throws a big monkey wrench in their matrix. We fly a lot on Spirit, mainly my daughter, and the price is crazy cheap. They fly to a lot of cities from Detroit. On the other hand, they've added and taken away from KCI over the years, so they're flaky too.
Jetblue. See above with Spirit. They could add OMA to a few destinations but wouldn't really add much in the way of numbers to OMA.
I'm just saying that OMA over the years never really went after service like other airports. The attitude seemed/seems to be "We're here. If you want to come here or add service go ahead. We won't stop you. Just don't ask for a bribe."

I'd also mention that while I haven't seen the latest plans for renovating OMA it doesn't look like anything new is going to knock anyone's socks off. As always, take a look at OKC to see an airport that went above and beyond the strict call.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

Somebody on the Skyscraper Page forums calculated the ratio of enplanements at various airports to the CSA that the airport serves. Omaha ranks very high for smaller CSAs by the forumer's calculations and is only outranked by Spokane for non-leisure destinations (though I suppose neighboring Coeur D'Alene can be pretty touristy).

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showth ... p?t=252274

[Mr.Nuke]

August up 8.6% and now 26.3% YTD
https://www.flyoma.com/wp-content/uploa ... istics.pdf

[Mjs5050ss]

I was doing some research on the upcoming elections and came across a ballot initiative that I hadn't known about. Maybe I've been living under a rock...

http://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=32480

Ballot measure for expanded air service approved

Voters will decide whether to allow Nebraska’s commercial service airports to enter into certain revenue-sharing contracts with airlines under a measure approved by lawmakers April 12.

Sen. Eliot Bostar
Sen. Eliot Bostar
LR283CA, sponsored by Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar, will place a proposed amendment to the state constitution on the November 2022 general election ballot.

If approved by voters, the measure will allow any city, county or other political subdivision that owns or operates an airport to expend its revenues to encourage or develop new or expanded regularly scheduled commercial passenger air service.

LR283CA passed on a vote of 47-0.

Everything about this seems like a good thing, but I was hoping those smarter than I could tell me how this affects Eppley.

It seems like a no brainer, right?

[ita]

I was doing some research on the upcoming elections and came across a ballot initiative that I hadn't known about. Maybe I've been living under a rock...

http://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=32480

Ballot measure for expanded air service approved

Voters will decide whether to allow Nebraska’s commercial service airports to enter into certain revenue-sharing contracts with airlines under a measure approved by lawmakers April 12.

Sen. Eliot Bostar
Sen. Eliot Bostar
LR283CA, sponsored by Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar, will place a proposed amendment to the state constitution on the November 2022 general election ballot.

If approved by voters, the measure will allow any city, county or other political subdivision that owns or operates an airport to expend its revenues to encourage or develop new or expanded regularly scheduled commercial passenger air service.

LR283CA passed on a vote of 47-0.

Everything about this seems like a good thing, but I was hoping those smarter than I could tell me how this affects Eppley.

It seems like a no brainer, right?

Here is some additional insight. This makes it more clear how this new law might help NE airports expand service.

Bostar said the change would allow the governing bodies of Nebraska’s nine commercial service airports to enter into contracts that guarantee a minimum amount of revenue to an airline during the first months of new or expanded air service.

“Especially for small to medium sized airports across the country, this is essentially the tool that is used to attract and expand passenger air service,” he said. “I know of no other state where this cannot be utilized or isn’t being utilized.”

http://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=31867

[Mr.Nuke]

Everything about this seems like a good thing, but I was hoping those smarter than I could tell me how this affects Eppley.

If anything it probably negatively impacts Eppley slightly. As far as we know (although that AIr Canada to Toronto still seems fishy to me), no new air service at Eppley has ever required a minimum revenue guarantee (MRG). Although Omaha could theoretically benefit from this bill, it seem designed for Lincoln and almost solely Lincoln's benefit.

The bill was sponsored by a Lincoln legislator, and supported in the hearing by the Lincoln Airport Director, former Lincoln Airport Authority Attorney, the Lincoln chamber of Commerce, some Lincoln business association member, and a member of the city of Lincoln government etc. and those were the only people there testifying in support of this. Lincoln recently lost Delta service completely, but gained United service to Houston. In order to do so, they utilized a $750,000 federal grant, and the Lincoln chamber of commerce and UNL each put up $250,000 for a sizeable MRG. For an airport like Lincoln to have any chance of gaining additional service at this point, they're effectively going to have to do that every single time for the foreseeable future.

Part of me wonders if this whole bill isn't related to this letter here https://www.lancaster.ne.gov/AgendaCent ... ileID=6447 Essentially the airport authority was asking Lancaster County for Federal ARPA funds and presumably they can't get them due to the current state constitution.

Where this sort of negatively impacts Eppley is we just saw Lincoln get that Houston flight for $1.25 million in guaranteed federal/private money. Anyone that actually utilizes that flight would've flown out of Eppley be it on United's non-subsidized flights to Houston or another airline's flight also non-subsidized from here.

It seems like a no brainer, right?

I voted for it, but it effectively comes down to whether or not you trust a local government to allocate funds towards subsidizing/incentivizing air service and or if that is an appropriate use of said funds to begin with. Airports themselves cannot due to Federal rules. The Lincoln people testifying in favor of it didn't really do a convincing job on why they think they need this. I get they're at a competitive disadvantage and need MRGs to attract service. I also get that it is another tool in the tool box to have, but you guys also just landed said United flight via the Federal grant and $500,000 in University and Chamber matching funding.

So I'm still coming back to the fact that from that letter I linked to above they probably have ARPA funding that they are trying to get access to.

Here is some additional insight. This makes it more clear how this new law might help NE airports expand service.

Bostar said the change would allow the governing bodies of Nebraska’s nine commercial service airports to enter into contracts that guarantee a minimum amount of revenue to an airline during the first months of new or expanded air service.

“Especially for small to medium sized airports across the country, this is essentially the tool that is used to attract and expand passenger air service,” he said. “I know of no other state where this cannot be utilized or isn’t being utilized.”

http://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=31867

And he is being generous here. Of the 9 airports we again think 1 doesn't use MRGs at all (Omaha), and 7 are EAS airports (already receiving/capable of Federal subsidies to operate service). That leaves one: Lincoln...

[Mr.Nuke]

2022 Q2 PDEW
Phoenix 334
Las Vegas 286
Denver 277
Chicago 272
Los Angeles 254
Washington D.C. 233
Dallas 223
New York City 199
Orlando 173
Atlanta 167
Houston 154
Seattle 128
Tampa 112
San Francisco 106
San Diego 96
Miami 87
Salt Lake City 82
Boston 81
Nashville 76
Charlotte 74
Minneapolis 72
Detroit 65
St Louis 60
Portland 57
Austin 56
San Antonio 54
Fort Myers 51
Sacramento 49
Philadelphia 49
New Orleans 44
Raleigh Durham 42
Valparaiso Fl 37
Jacksonville 31
Columbus Ohio 30
Pittsburgh 28
Charleston 27
Norfolk 26
Cleveland 25
Tuscon 23
Pensacola 23
Savannah 22
Reno 21
Indianapolis 21
Sarasota 21
Hartford 21
Spokane 20

[Mr.Nuke]

September up 14.5% for the month and 24.8% YTD.
https://www.flyoma.com/wp-content/uploa ... istics.pdf

[TitosBuritoBarn]

What happened to Allegiant? 2,359 passengers last September but only 535 this September, yet their total passenger count YTD is up over last year.

[Mr.Nuke]

What happened to Allegiant? 2,359 passengers last September but only 535 this September, yet their total passenger count YTD is up over last year.

Some of the drop off maybe them shifting their regional focus to Des Moines, but they pulled back big time around this time last year and appear to have done so even more this year. It looks like they're flying to Orlando Sanford on Thursdays and Sundays right now and L.A. on Wednesdays and Sunday. That is it.

Vegas resumes 2 times a week on November 17th, St Pete's Clear water roughly twice a week on the 17th as well Mesa twice weekly on November 19th, Punta Gorda twice weekly on November 23rd,

[Bob from Omaha]

Nuke, you're Mr. PDEW. With regard to the destinations served from DSM on Allegiant, what was the PDEW to those destinations prior to Allegiant serving them? Just wondering.

[joleo]

Nuke, you're Mr. PDEW. With regard to the destinations served from DSM on Allegiant, what was the PDEW to those destinations prior to Allegiant serving them? Just wondering.

Great question, would love to see the data! I would guess a large boost to some, if not all for sure! People willing to drive long distances for cheap, nonstop flights and locals taking advantage of new cheap places to travel! My cousin's family went DSM-Palm Springs last December for under $100 roundtrip each and only took the trip because it was so cheap!

[RedcoMusic]

Since working from home, I've been in the process of slowly not using my car (which I plan on selling for scrap soon). Got a flight coming up on a Wednesday late morning, I plan to Metro it out to Eppley. My flight is at 11am and I should be there by 08:30 with the latest morning run (before the midday gap until 3:45pm). I wish we had better airport bus service but honestly, it's been alright. I live in downtown so can't complain much. My return flight is late at night, but that's just a $15 Uber ride. Also my go-to space which is the North Rooftop raised the daily rate to $10.

[Bob from Omaha]

I don't have much of a dog in this hunt but it's enough already.

Eppley isn't nearly as aggressive as our peers and near regional airports. Eppley has never used bribes, and that's really what they are, to lure airlines or service. Advertising, when it's used at all, is weak. The design for the terminal renovation and expansion is on the cheap compared to other airports, and I hate to beat a drum repeatedly but take a look at OKC. I don't have a problem with DSM having a relatively large presence by Allegiant but why not OMA instead of DSM? Southwest has grown somewhat but could grow more. And finally, and with due respect to Nuke, this whole PDEW issue has a hole in it. OMA grew from 3.5 million to 5 million in a few short years. Some of the destinations Allegiant is flying to from DSM appear on the surface as risky to start. Did DSM really have demand for Palm Springs? Portland? How does that compare to OMA?

I've said the same thing on this and prior boards. It's way past time for OMA to get aggressive. The airport is an economic powerhouse and has the potential to be much much more. I don't have a problem with being prudent with airport finances but come on. Compete! As it stands Lincoln will be able to bribe airlines to provide limited new service. Omaha? Probably not. KCI is about to bribe an airline to provide European non stop service. I'm not suggesting that. Just that Eppley for whatever reason seems to be timid.

My current airport, DTW, provides a ton of service at competitive prices and with a lot of frequency and a mountain of oversees non stop service. Do I think OMA could be like that? Nope. Is there a chance that OMA could have service to 45 cities and some Canada and Mexico flights? YES!

[Uffda]

Looks like a great sledding hill on those snowy icy Omaha days. Oh and Premier parking is ONLY $26/day!
New vehicle ramp opens at Eppley Airfield garage



https://omaha.com/news/local/new-vehicl ... gZky51qlDo

[Brad]

Eppley needs to figure out a better situation for Coffee in the morning. Last Saturday 10/15 we flew out of the north terminal. We arrived at 6am for a 7:30am flight. The line for the coffee went all the way back to the security area and then curved to the west.

[Ben]

Eppley needs to figure out a better situation for Coffee in the morning. Last Saturday 10/15 we flew out of the north terminal. We arrived at 6am for a 7:30am flight. The line for the coffee went all the way back to the security area and then curved to the west.

I don't think much is going to change until they reconfigure to 1 large terminal as part of the upgrade project. But that's one of the promised benefits - upgraded amenities/food options post security.

I agree, coffee for early morning flights is a challenge - at both ends of the terminals. Its even worse weekdays.