Omaha Eppley Airfield - DISCUSSION

[Mr.Nuke]

Does anybody know if they marketed to American, Delta or United for a club first?

Presumably yes as on the 2022 PFC documents where everything was labeled, this was listed as "airline club." With that said...

If one of the big 3 decided to do a club, they would get a good chuck of the Omaha business traffic over time. Delta added a club in KC and is now dominated of the big 3 airlines in KC for business travelers and just added RDU from MCI as well to make it 10 nonstop cities served from KC.

I mean Delta has gone from 17.6% market share in Kansas City in 2022 to 16.2% in 2024. They have taken first place among the legacy airlines to your point, but it isn't necessarily clear whether or not the club was the driver of that or not, and in the meantime Southwest has continued to grow quicker than the legacies there.

I would think American would be best positioned in Omaha to add a club. They will be up to 8 nonstop cities from Omaha.

The bigger problem is Kansas City was a borderline market for an airline specific club as it is. With that said, Kansas City saw almost 7 million more passengers than Eppley last year or nearly 20,000 more passengers each day. American had ~543,480 enplanements at Eppley in 2024. Delta had 990,031 in KC, or again, just leaving the airport alone, Delta was flying about 1,200 more people each day out of Kansas City compared to American at Eppley. All of that makes quite a big difference for supporting an airline specific lounge versus not...

I found three unassigned spaces though one is pre security so I don't think that's the one.

The spot is already on your map as occupied. Look at that different shade of Blue/gray in between your two unassigned circles post security if you took a right at the end of the central terminal and another immediate right. That spot is listed as an "airline club" on the 2022 PFC documents.

[Bob from Omaha]

I never looked at the legend. I zoomed in too far to see it. Many of the lounges I've been in face the runways so you can have a view. Not so much at OMA but not a huge deal. Good if they get one but not a deal breaker to most people. They'd rather stock up on Runzas for the trip

[Mr.Nuke]

I never looked at the legend.

The only time I saw the legend was on that PFC document 2 or 3 or so years ago, so I'm not surprised if you missed it. We've seen that rendering elsewhere without it. I appreciated your post because I had missed the "unassigned" spaces before. It wouldn't surprise me especially on that exact opposite side if they are holding that for a potential airline lounge again thinking that this current iteration of the terminal is going to be there for 30-40 years and potential growth associated with that. Like I said, I don't think Eppley is anywhere close to that point though demand wise presently.

Many of the lounges I've been in face the runways so you can have a view. Not so much at OMA but not a huge deal. Good if they get one but not a deal breaker to most people. They'd rather stock up on Runzas for the trip

And that is going to be a minor "problem" for Eppley in general based on the design decisions for dinning. https://www.buildoma.com/wp-content/upl ... ns-Map.pdf I'm assuming that was a compromise for the linear terminal with all of the gates facing relatively Northward. I've been to airports, I'm looking at you O'Hare B lounges where you are on the wrong side to see anything.

[Bob from Omaha]

I never looked at the legend.

The only time I saw the legend was on that PFC document 2 or 3 or so years ago, so I'm not surprised if you missed it. We've seen that rendering elsewhere without it. I appreciated your post because I had missed the "unassigned" spaces before. It wouldn't surprise me especially on that exact opposite side if they are holding that for a potential airline lounge again thinking that this current iteration of the terminal is going to be there for 30-40 years and potential growth associated with that. Like I said, I don't think Eppley is anywhere close to that point though demand wise presently.

Many of the lounges I've been in face the runways so you can have a view. Not so much at OMA but not a huge deal. Good if they get one but not a deal breaker to most people. They'd rather stock up on Runzas for the trip

And that is going to be a minor "problem" for Eppley in general based on the design decisions for dinning. https://www.buildoma.com/wp-content/upl ... ns-Map.pdf I'm assuming that was a compromise for the linear terminal with all of the gates facing relatively Northward. I've been to airports, I'm looking at you O'Hare B lounges where you are on the wrong side to see anything.

Even when I was flying a ton (50 or more times a year) I rarely used a lounge unless I had a meeting there. I just don't see a huge need. What do I know? Maybe so. Something over 120-140 flights a day total, eh, not really a ton to look at anyway.

Again, it's all about growth. Destinations, frequency, maybe larger jets. Mexico & the Caribbean? Yep. A lounge, ok, if you have to.

[Ben]

So was this always planned or did a tenant back out & they now have space?

Their was space for a lounge going back to their conceptual top down drawings years ago. It wasn't part of the RFP package for the rest of the concessions. So I'd go with this was always planned.

Does anybody know if they marketed to American, Delta or United for a club first? If one of the big 3 decided to do a club, they would get a good chuck of the Omaha business traffic over time. Delta added a club in KC and is now dominated of the big 3 airlines in KC for business travelers and just added RDU from MCI as well to make it 10 nonstop cities served from KC.

I would think American would be best positioned in Omaha to add a club. They will be up to 8 nonstop cities from Omaha.

"Common Use Lounge" would seem to indicate that they're hoping for a non-airline affiliated one. Think Priority Pass. I mean we could end up with a Capital One or Amex Lounge, but highly unlikely given current locations for those...

[Greg S]

Obviously this appears to be very good news for Eppley’s travel numbers. I have said it before, I think they need to look at expanding parking:

[skinzfan23]

I think it has been like that for a week now. The only lost parking due to construction is on the main floor, correct?

[Bob from Omaha]

Feb down 8.5%, down 3.6% for the year. Anybody want to make a prediction for 2025?

Feb2025

[skinzfan23]

Ouch, those are some bad numbers, wonder why the huge decrease.

[skinzfan23]

I am not sure that would be a main factor at this point. Most people probably book travel months out, especially for leisure travel. If the information above about parking is in indicator, hopefully March will see an increase.

[Garrett]

February had quite a few nasty storms yeah?

[Mr.Nuke]

Feb down 8.5%, down 3.6% for the year. Anybody want to make a prediction for 2025?

Feb2025

We probably need to see another 1-3 months to see if the trend continues or not, but historically February as of late is the weakest month with January. As it stands the February passenger levels would still put Eppley relatively on track for 2018, 2019, or 2023 where you still see 5 million passengers for the year. Again it is going to depend if things continue to decline from here or not. I may have to do a deeper dive to particularly Southwest seats to see what may be going on.

If the information above about parking is in indicator, hopefully March will see an increase.

The parking situation during the middle of Spring break season probably shouldn't be used as an indicator of anything. Again January and February are Eppley's least busiest months but March is like ~the 6th and then April goes back down the 10th busiest. That is a pretty good sign that Eppley gets really busy for a week or two with kids off of school here, and that happens annually.

February had quite a few nasty storms yeah?

Probably, but February has nasty storms somewhere every year. This is one of those things I wish I had more real-time data on, but I can go back in like 3 or 4 months and look at cancellations for Omaha particularly versus last year. The data delay just makes it frustrating/ boder-line pointless to do at that point.

[Garrett]

Pulling from a quick scan of Accuweather data, February 2024 only had 1 day with a high below freezing and it was 31 degrees, while February 2025 had 13

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/omaha ... ?year=2024

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/omaha ... ?year=2025

[Mr.Nuke]

Pulling from a quick scan of Accuweather data, February 2024 only had 1 day with a high below freezing and it was 31 degrees, while February 2025 had 13

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/omaha ... ?year=2024

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/omaha ... ?year=2025

Yeah but temperatures don't mean that much in terms of aviation and again it isn't necessarily what is happening here versus elsewhere. Eppley had 8.7 inches of snow in February of this year (most of it on two days) versus 0.8 last year. That likely isn't going to explain a decline of that degree. I'll be curious to see what the neighbors in DSM and MCI show for the month. I have a feeling this is something more overall economy/aviation related wise.

[Bob from Omaha]

DSM usually posts their numbers the second week of the month as their board meeting is a week or two prior to OMA's. Anyway, the economy is so bad and confidence is so low that I guess DSM can't afford to even post their numbers.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

2024 was a leap year, so having an extra day of flights in February 2024 accounted for a little less than half of the number of passengers Eppley was down in February '25 compared to February '24.

[Mr.Nuke]

Today is going to potentially screw up month to month comparisons. I don't remember a day like this in awhile that as of 2 p.m. Eppley hasn't had an arrival or commercial departure. Nothing at this point is currently inbound either.

[Bob from Omaha]

OMA, DSM, LNK & MCI are all having a ton of cancellations.

[Mr.Nuke]

I'll be curious to see what the neighbors in DSM and MCI show for the month. I have a feeling this is something more overall economy/aviation related wise.

Des Moines was down 7.4% for the month so in the same ball park.
https://www.flydsm.com/filesimages/ABOU ... istics.pdf

[PotatoeEatsFish]

I thank all airports and travel may be impacted soon!

(Oh my god this sounds like a threat, I just meant the economy is screwed lately)

[Bob from Omaha]

OKC is getting Cancun flights. Here's the story.

OKC-Cancun

[Bob from Omaha]

I just saw that Southwest has Omaha-San Diego non stop but didn't find when.

Nuke? Anybody?

[Mr.Nuke]

I just saw that Southwest has Omaha-San Diego non stop but didn't find when.

Nuke? Anybody?

It looks like OMA-SAN starts on 11/22. The schedule early on is very sporadic. It is not operating the week of 12/7-12/13 at all. Goes to 4x weekly the weeks around Christmas, etc and then their schedule coverage ends on 1/4 right now.

Omaha-Austin is also loaded with a similar sporadic schedule starting on 11/22 with multiple weekly nonstops the two weeks around Christmas. So we'll see..., but especially with only having the schedule out to 1/4, both of these look like temporary routes to capitalize on holiday travel and not indicative of anything beyond that.

[Bob from Omaha]

"The Omaha to San Diego route, last served by Southwest in April 2020, presents another strategic expansion opportunity.
The route demonstrates 97 passenger daily equivalent ways in the year ending September 2024, with an average round trip price of $724. The point of sale mix shows 68% originating from Omaha and 32% from San Diego.
Market share analysis for this route reveals Southwest’s strong position, holding 56% overall market share, with United and American Airlines each capturing 15%.
Airport-specific breakdowns show Southwest’s dominance in Omaha at 58%, while in San Diego, the airline maintains a 51% market share alongside American Airlines at 19% and United at 14%.
Southwest’s route expansion strategy reflects a calculated approach to capitalizing on holiday travel demand and exploring underserved market segments."


[https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2025/ ... nter-2025/]

[Ryan Air]

Beginning October 7th, AA will be increasing frequency from OMA-LAX; according to OMA Facebook page.
Did a quick looky-loo and saw this increase daily and loaded Tue Oct 7, returning Fri, Oct 10 schedule.
OMA-LAX options: 06:35-08:14 15:31-17:04
LAX-OMA return: 09:42-15:01 18:30-23:51

Both ERJ175

[Bob from Omaha]

I have more time on my hands these days & did a little checking. Today OMA has 73 outbound flights total.
Alaska has one flight.
Allegiant has three
American, 16
Delta, 18
Frontier 1
Southwest 23
United 11

Just saying

[joleo]

Beginning October 7th, AA will be increasing frequency from OMA-LAX; according to OMA Facebook page.
Did a quick looky-loo and saw this increase daily and loaded Tue Oct 7, returning Fri, Oct 10 schedule.
OMA-LAX options: 06:35-08:14 15:31-17:04
LAX-OMA return: 09:42-15:01 18:30-23:51

Both ERJ175

United will also be going to 2x daily OMA-SFO as well on and off in November and December. Right now, one of them is mainline.

American looks like it is dropping OMA-PHL November 1st. Maybe only seasonally?

[Mr.Nuke]

United will also be going to 2x daily OMA-SFO as well on and off in November and December. Right now, one of them is mainline.

They seem a bit more predictable than the AUS and SAN flights on Southwest. SFO looks to be twice daily every day between 10/26 to 11/30 and then again 12/18 to 1/5.

American looks like it is dropping OMA-PHL November 1st. Maybe only seasonally?

We'll see what loads look like when it gets back going if this was an advanced booking thing or if it was always intended to be seasonal.

[NEDodger]

Eppley’s website lists Philly as seasonal only

[damonhynes]

I have more time on my hands these days & did a little checking. Today OMA has 73 outbound flights total.
Alaska has one flight.
Allegiant has three
American, 16
Delta, 18
Frontier 1
Southwest 23
United 11

Just saying

I remember when UA was the 800-lb. gorilla in OMA. (and flew DC-10s, but that's another story...)

[Bob from Omaha]

I remember when UA was the 800-lb. gorilla in OMA. (and flew DC-10s, but that's another story...)

In the late 80s or early 90s taking a 767 to Denver

[schumatt]

I found three unassigned spaces though one is pre security so I don't think that's the one.

The spot is already on your map as occupied. Look at that different shade of Blue/gray in between your two unassigned circles post security if you took a right at the end of the central terminal and another immediate right. That spot is listed as an "airline club" on the 2022 PFC documents.

Going back to the lounge proposal, with Omaha not being a hub for any carrier, it would make more sense to have a lounge operated by a 3rd party with access via Priority Pass or something similar.

Looking at that proposed location, I was surprised by how small it was, and as mentioned, the lack of windows. But further into the presentation, they show that it's actually a two-story space and the smaller space on the Level 2 is just the entry/check-in area. Up the stairs/elevator, the 3rd level is where the lounge area would actually be.

[skinzfan23]

Obviously, we are not the tourist destination that Montego Bay Jamaica is, but they have a lounge for arrivals and departures and it was pretty small, you had to take an elevator up to it and it didn't have any windows either.

[Brad]

We went to a third party lounge (Non Airline/Non Credit Card related lounge) in Phoenix, it was a small space on the concourse and the upstairs to the actual lounge. It was great, in addition to the food and beverages, you don't hear all the pre-recorded airport messages! It actually shared the concourse level check-in area and stairs with a credit card lounge, but at the top of the stairs they were separate lounges.

[Louie]

I have been to a number of Priority Pass and Delta Sky Clubs over the years and several of them have been with a similar setup of an entry on the main and the lounge on the next floor up.

[GenX]

I found three unassigned spaces though one is pre security so I don't think that's the one.

The spot is already on your map as occupied. Look at that different shade of Blue/gray in between your two unassigned circles post security if you took a right at the end of the central terminal and another immediate right. That spot is listed as an "airline club" on the 2022 PFC documents.

Going back to the lounge proposal, with Omaha not being a hub for any carrier, it would make more sense to have a lounge operated by a 3rd party with access via Priority Pass or something similar.

Looking at that proposed location, I was surprised by how small it was, and as mentioned, the lack of windows. But further into the presentation, they show that it's actually a two-story space and the smaller space on the Level 2 is just the entry/check-in area. Up the stairs/elevator, the 3rd level is where the lounge area would actually be.

Maybe it’s where they’ll put the casino/smoking area ala Vegas

[Mr.Nuke]

Going back to the lounge proposal, with Omaha not being a hub for any carrier, it would make more sense to have a lounge operated by a 3rd party with access via Priority Pass or something similar.

Looking at that proposed location, I was surprised by how small it was, and as mentioned, the lack of windows. But further into the presentation, they show that it's actually a two-story space and the smaller space on the Level 2 is just the entry/check-in area. Up the stairs/elevator, the 3rd level is where the lounge area would actually be.

We should've noticed that on the exterior renderings before now, because it is on there.

[Bob from Omaha]

And the view is of what? The CUP? Just kidding.

[Mr.Nuke]

I'll be curious to see what the neighbors in DSM and MCI show for the month. I have a feeling this is something more overall economy/aviation related wise.

Des Moines was down 7.4% for the month so in the same ball park.
https://www.flydsm.com/filesimages/ABOU ... istics.pdf

Kansas City was down 10.1%
https://flykc.cdn.prismic.io/flykc/Z-vx ... bruary.pdf

[Mr.Nuke]