Omaha Eppley Airfield - DISCUSSION

[Louie]

I’m surprised JetBlue is considered to be in the “low cost” airline category considering just how nice all of the flights I’ve ever taken with them have been. Nice seats, built in personal entertainment pads, as many free snacks and drinks as you want. That’s the polar opposite of a Spirit flight to me, and even better service than I usually get on the big mainline carriers

Don't they always rank high in customer satisfaction? Surprised they are struggling financially.

[joleo]

CPE is negotiated between the OAA & the airline on an individual basis, in most cases. LAX is one thing, OMA is another.

Not saying OMA would bribe Allegiant or Frontier but it could happen.

On some level it is via gate rentals/landing fees, etc., but CPE reported by the airport and forecast going forward by the airport is on a cumulative basis. Per Eppley's own bond filings CPE is going up significantly to pay off the terminal. Eppley theoretically has zero incentive to cut corners for Allegiant or Frontier when they represent 5.2% of the airports traffic either. I'm not saying that I think either pull out either, I'm just saying I'm doubting either are happy that Eppley's CPE is going up and it is more likely that the contract rather than expand here near term.

Low Cost airlines are largely on a pretty firm down swing these days anyway from what I've read.

Several are in big trouble.

I can tell you I used to hate Allegiant but now I love it being in Des Moines. It provides so many more options for travelers. Here is Des Moines, my friend's family of 5 went to Portland Oregon for $141 roundtrip each last week. If the price wasn't this, they would not have been able to afford the vacation. I have examples like this every week! Another friend is going to Philly but flying to Newark on Allegiant for $160 roundtrip and taking the train from there. Otherwise, she would not have gone. That said Allegiant and Frontier provide prices that allows people to travel that otherwise couldn't afford it or others that want a nonstop flight and have a flexible schedule. I think Eppley could get up to 15% ULLC (Allegiant and Frontier) with the proper incentives to the airlines and boost the numbers by probably 500k a year from where they are today if Allegiant were to start a base in Omaha like they do Des Moines. And have at least 5 if not 10 additional nonstop destinations!

I got my cousin hooked on Allegiant and he flies to and from Tampa/St Pete a few times a month. So much that if Allegiant doesn't fly Omaha to St Pete in Sept or not on the days he wants, he drives to Des Moines to fly out at least a few times a year.

[almighty_tuna]

my friend's family of 5 went to Portland Oregon for $141 roundtrip each last week. If the price wasn't this, they would not have been able to afford the vacation.

How did they approach the luggage cost to continue making this affordable? From what I hear about Alegiant you pretty much get nickel and dimed for anything you bring with you.

[Bob from Omaha]

We fly Spirit & Jetblue quite a bit. With regard to add on fees with Spirit it's all in the packing. If we need to add a bag it's still cheaper than Delta, etc. Our experience has been that the staff has been friendly, the flights are on time and even though I'm a touch over 6 feet tall I don't feel the seat in front of me on my knees. Jetblue is what someone above said...the perks are nice & again, flights on time & friendly staff.

I noticed something today that I rarely look for. Cargo is up nicely this year.

[Mr.Nuke]

I’m surprised JetBlue is considered to be in the “low cost” airline category considering just how nice all of the flights I’ve ever taken with them have been. Nice seats, built in personal entertainment pads, as many free snacks and drinks as you want.

Low Cost is a pretty broad term, sometimes so broad that it is basically anything other than one of the legacy airlines. It doesn't necessarily refer to the product being offered i.e. JetBlue's more upscale approach rather it generally is on the operational side. Some typically common things are fleet commonality (reduces maintaince and training costs), more to majority of point to point flying (reduces gate costs, and shorter turn times), often but not always secondary airports (again reduces costs), often reduced amenities and almost always ancillary charges, often unassigned seating, typically but not always lower cost tickets, etc.

Like you said JetBlue is a bit different in they offer a better in cabin product than most low costs carriers. With that said, while they have several large hubs i.e. BOS, and JFK that they can and do connect you through something like 96% of their traffic is O/D. Again as mentioned above that model minimizes turntimes and should allow for higher utilzation because you're not waiting for hub banks to connect.
https://crankyflier.com/2025/01/21/jetb ... han%20that.

They have historically operated a very common fleet It used to be solely airbuses A320/1s. They added E190s to the mix but that is still basically two types. Now the E190's are being replaced with A220s. They often typically are very competitive or on the low side of fares in a given market, and like other LCCs they're charging ancillary stuff for checked bags and seat selections. Obviously on the latter two here the legacy airlines have responded to the LCCs by introducing basic economy fares that basically mimic the LCC in that if you want a seat you are going to pay more, checked bag paying more etc.

That’s the polar opposite of a Spirit flight to me, and even better service than I usually get on the big mainline carriers

Part of that is why Spirit, Allegiant, Frontier, Sun Country, Avelo, etc aren't just considered low cost carriers, they're in a different classification as ultra low cost carriers. You have a seat and a destination that is pretty much it. Anything more, if it is offered at all, is going to cost you.

[Mr.Nuke]

That said Allegiant and Frontier provide prices that allows people to travel that otherwise couldn't afford it or others that want a nonstop flight and have a flexible schedule.

I agree on both here.

I think Eppley could get up to 15% ULLC (Allegiant and Frontier) with the proper incentives to the airlines and boost the numbers by probably 500k a year from where they are today if Allegiant were to start a base in Omaha like they do Des Moines. And have at least 5 if not 10 additional nonstop destinations!

Hard disagree here. As you know Eppley doesn't provide incentives. What people may not be aware of is nor does any airport really directly, because they can't provide a direct subsidy from airport revenue. The only things an airport can do directly are waive fees i.e. landing fees, ramp fees, terminal fees i.e. gate and ticket counter rent. Lincoln's incentive program right now waives terminal fees for a year for a new entrant as well as ground handling if the airport handles it, in addition they'll waive landing fees for any new route for a year.

Additionally, they can directly provide marking support i.e. LNK is offering $75,000 in advertising per new destination.

The direct bribe i.e. what the carrier actually wants is from an outside or "community sponsored" source. For Lincoln's United service to Houston that was $1.25 million including $500,000 in matching funds from the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, and UNL. For Redway it was $3 million in ARPA funds (really questionable use), and now for Breeze it is literally $3.75 million in property taxes.

I'm personally fine with Eppley not offering incentives to new entrants. I wouldn't be opposed to waiving landing fees, etc. on the airports side to encourage new routes. But while I understand what Lincoln is trying to ultimately do with Breeze, subsidizing an actual Mickey Mouse route with property taxes is dumb. And by your own admission, like I said I agree there, in that the ULCCs are great for people to travel that otherwise couldn't afford it, that is also a pretty bad business case, literally in this instance, for someone like the Chamber of Commerce to subsidize a ULCC carrier or route.

[riceweb]

More low-cost carriers would probably cannibalize Southwest (and to a lesser extent the big 3 carriers as well). Expanding with Allegiant or Frontier isn't necessarily a net win for the city of Omaha if we end up losing other destinations or have the number of daily flights cut (and thus making connections harder or impossible).

[joleo]

More low-cost carriers would probably cannibalize Southwest (and to a lesser extent the big 3 carriers as well). Expanding with Allegiant or Frontier isn't necessarily a net win for the city of Omaha if we end up losing other destinations or have the number of daily flights cut (and thus making connections harder or impossible).

United, American and Delta all do well here in Des Moines and their traffic is proportional to the size of the market compared to Omaha so Allegiant doesn't hurt them much at all.

Southwest is smaller in Des Moines but also hasn't been here that long. Omaha has traditionally ranked as once of the most profitable cities for Southwest which means very high prices and less travelers. Omaha has softened some for Southwest this year though.

I would guess 50% or more of Allegiant's business is people that can't afford/ don't want to afford to take United, American, Southwest or Delta or looking for nonstop flights the others don't offer.

This is why it doesn't really hurt the other airlines too much but generates new traffic. I think it would be a huge win for Omaha.

[joleo]

That said Allegiant and Frontier provide prices that allows people to travel that otherwise couldn't afford it or others that want a nonstop flight and have a flexible schedule.

I agree on both here.

I think Eppley could get up to 15% ULLC (Allegiant and Frontier) with the proper incentives to the airlines and boost the numbers by probably 500k a year from where they are today if Allegiant were to start a base in Omaha like they do Des Moines. And have at least 5 if not 10 additional nonstop destinations!

Hard disagree here. As you know Eppley doesn't provide incentives. What people may not be aware of is nor does any airport really directly, because they can't provide a direct subsidy from airport revenue. The only things an airport can do directly are waive fees i.e. landing fees, ramp fees, terminal fees i.e. gate and ticket counter rent. Lincoln's incentive program right now waives terminal fees for a year for a new entrant as well as ground handling if the airport handles it, in addition they'll waive landing fees for any new route for a year.

Additionally, they can directly provide marking support i.e. LNK is offering $75,000 in advertising per new destination.

The direct bribe i.e. what the carrier actually wants is from an outside or "community sponsored" source. For Lincoln's United service to Houston that was $1.25 million including $500,000 in matching funds from the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, and UNL. For Redway it was $3 million in ARPA funds (really questionable use), and now for Breeze it is literally $3.75 million in property taxes.

I'm personally fine with Eppley not offering incentives to new entrants. I wouldn't be opposed to waiving landing fees, etc. on the airports side to encourage new routes. But while I understand what Lincoln is trying to ultimately do with Breeze, subsidizing an actual Mickey Mouse route with property taxes is dumb. And by your own admission, like I said I agree there, in that the ULCCs are great for people to travel that otherwise couldn't afford it, that is also a pretty bad business case, literally in this instance, for someone like the Chamber of Commerce to subsidize a ULCC carrier or route.

By subsidize, I mean waive landing fees etc like you say for a certain period of time to get a new nonstop city etc. Follow DSM' model, not providing direct funding like lincoln did/ does.

[joleo]

my friend's family of 5 went to Portland Oregon for $141 roundtrip each last week. If the price wasn't this, they would not have been able to afford the vacation.

How did they approach the luggage cost to continue making this affordable? From what I hear about Alegiant you pretty much get nickel and dimed for anything you bring with you.

Sorry multiple posts here! Great question, I asked the same thing to the family of 5. They all just did backpacks and didn't check anything, I was impressed! I also see quite a bit people here in DSM might share a larger suit case for 1 people and then backpacks from there unless taking a longer trip.

[Ryan Air]

my friend's family of 5 went to Portland Oregon for $141 roundtrip each last week. If the price wasn't this, they would not have been able to afford the vacation.

How did they approach the luggage cost to continue making this affordable? From what I hear about Alegiant you pretty much get nickel and dimed for anything you bring with you.

Sorry multiple posts here! Great question, I asked the same thing to the family of 5. They all just did backpacks and didn't check anything, I was impressed! I also see quite a bit people here in DSM might share a larger suit case for 1 people and then backpacks from there unless taking a longer trip.

My head is going to explode from all these.
Profitable = Very high prices - travelers? This just fried my circuits.

I just can’t with this guy.

[mistergutierrez]

That said Allegiant and Frontier provide prices that allows people to travel that otherwise couldn't afford it or others that want a nonstop flight and have a flexible schedule.

I agree on both here.

I think Eppley could get up to 15% ULLC (Allegiant and Frontier) with the proper incentives to the airlines and boost the numbers by probably 500k a year from where they are today if Allegiant were to start a base in Omaha like they do Des Moines. And have at least 5 if not 10 additional nonstop destinations!

Hard disagree here. As you know Eppley doesn't provide incentives. What people may not be aware of is nor does any airport really directly, because they can't provide a direct subsidy from airport revenue. The only things an airport can do directly are waive fees i.e. landing fees, ramp fees, terminal fees i.e. gate and ticket counter rent. Lincoln's incentive program right now waives terminal fees for a year for a new entrant as well as ground handling if the airport handles it, in addition they'll waive landing fees for any new route for a year.

Additionally, they can directly provide marking support i.e. LNK is offering $75,000 in advertising per new destination.

The direct bribe i.e. what the carrier actually wants is from an outside or "community sponsored" source. For Lincoln's United service to Houston that was $1.25 million including $500,000 in matching funds from the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, and UNL. For Redway it was $3 million in ARPA funds (really questionable use), and now for Breeze it is literally $3.75 million in property taxes.

I'm personally fine with Eppley not offering incentives to new entrants. I wouldn't be opposed to waiving landing fees, etc. on the airports side to encourage new routes. But while I understand what Lincoln is trying to ultimately do with Breeze, subsidizing an actual Mickey Mouse route with property taxes is dumb. And by your own admission, like I said I agree there, in that the ULCCs are great for people to travel that otherwise couldn't afford it, that is also a pretty bad business case, literally in this instance, for someone like the Chamber of Commerce to subsidize a ULCC carrier or route.

By subsidize, I mean waive landing fees etc like you say for a certain period of time to get a new nonstop city etc. Follow DSM' model, not providing direct funding like lincoln did/ does.

That’s Ryanair model in Europe, cheap flights plus being subsidized by secondary destinations, and a lot of fees for luggage and other add ons.

[Ryan Air]

That said Allegiant and Frontier provide prices that allows people to travel that otherwise couldn't afford it or others that want a nonstop flight and have a flexible schedule.

I agree on both here.

I think Eppley could get up to 15% ULLC (Allegiant and Frontier) with the proper incentives to the airlines and boost the numbers by probably 500k a year from where they are today if Allegiant were to start a base in Omaha like they do Des Moines. And have at least 5 if not 10 additional nonstop destinations!

Hard disagree here. As you know Eppley doesn't provide incentives. What people may not be aware of is nor does any airport really directly, because they can't provide a direct subsidy from airport revenue. The only things an airport can do directly are waive fees i.e. landing fees, ramp fees, terminal fees i.e. gate and ticket counter rent. Lincoln's incentive program right now waives terminal fees for a year for a new entrant as well as ground handling if the airport handles it, in addition they'll waive landing fees for any new route for a year.

Additionally, they can directly provide marking support i.e. LNK is offering $75,000 in advertising per new destination.

The direct bribe i.e. what the carrier actually wants is from an outside or "community sponsored" source. For Lincoln's United service to Houston that was $1.25 million including $500,000 in matching funds from the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, and UNL. For Redway it was $3 million in ARPA funds (really questionable use), and now for Breeze it is literally $3.75 million in property taxes.

I'm personally fine with Eppley not offering incentives to new entrants. I wouldn't be opposed to waiving landing fees, etc. on the airports side to encourage new routes. But while I understand what Lincoln is trying to ultimately do with Breeze, subsidizing an actual Mickey Mouse route with property taxes is dumb. And by your own admission, like I said I agree there, in that the ULCCs are great for people to travel that otherwise couldn't afford it, that is also a pretty bad business case, literally in this instance, for someone like the Chamber of Commerce to subsidize a ULCC carrier or route.

By subsidize, I mean waive landing fees etc like you say for a certain period of time to get a new nonstop city etc. Follow DSM' model, not providing direct funding like lincoln did/ does.

That’s Ryanair model in Europe, cheap flights plus being subsidized by secondary destinations, and a lot of fees for luggage and other add ons.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Ryan Air]

Did we know that the “central pavilion” construction includes(ed) a larger skywalk which (would) connect to a newly constructed garage facade? This is in addition to the two existing sky bridges. I had a brief conversation a while back with a Holder consultant who sort of mentioned this. I see this concept in the earlier plans, but the most recent plans I can find do not show the skywalks as they are in the first diagrams. Anywho…I recently saw doors 2 and 4 are completed (via OMA Instagram account) and got to questioning the door numbers and orders since neither (#2 or #4) seem significant or especially “main” like or principled for movement to check-in (on second level). So it got me looking for the central pavilion entrance (would-be door 3) and noticed a more complex explanation of skywalk use, movement, and usage. This is the excerpt I copied. It is from a PDF of something I found via a “visit” link from a google image search regarding the construction of a third skywalk. I don’t know how new or old this is because I cannot seem to find it again. Anybody have any thoughts? I don’t think I ever gave this any specific thoughts or noticed it in any renderings.



“Skywalks to Passenger Terminal: An important element of the TMP is relocating ticketing
to the second level of the terminal where there is a new consolidated security screening
checkpoint located in the center of the terminal. The two existing Skywalks and vertical
circulation provide access from the ground transportation, parking, and rental car areas to
the terminal. An estimated 60% of passengers utilize the existing two existing
Skywalks. The Authority plans to design and construct a new central Skywalk and also to
improve and rehabilitate the two Skywalks currently in operation to extend their life,
modernize the infrastructure, and enhance safety and capacity. The estimated cost of this
project is $21.9 million.“

[Mr.Nuke]

Did we know that the “central pavilion” construction includes(ed) a larger skywalk which (would) connect to a newly constructed garage facade?

The garage facade part would be new, but I figured out the skywalk part in July and we arguably should've known sooner based on the bond filing and the board agenda from last year.
https://www.eomahaforums.com/viewtopic. ... 03#p416503

[Ryan Air]

Did we know that the “central pavilion” construction includes(ed) a larger skywalk which (would) connect to a newly constructed garage facade?

The garage facade part would be new, but I figured out the skywalk part in July and we arguably should've known sooner based on the bond filing and the board agenda from last year.
https://www.eomahaforums.com/viewtopic. ... 03#p416503

Wow, not only did I miss that, I didn’t realize there was another thread specifically for construction.

Thanks!

[riceweb]

Are there any renderings of the proposed skywalk?

[Stan]

I flew out of Eppley last Thursday and back in yesterday morning on Allegient for $84 roundtrip. I only needed a backpack of stuff and didn't care about my seat so they got no more money out of me. I'd definitely do that trip again since it was a direct and just a fine flight.

Also, the walkways definitely need updated as they clash with the new awning. I was also surprised that they were working at the airport yesterday moving steel around.

[Louie]

Also, the walkways definitely need updated as they clash with the new awning. I was also surprised that they were working at the airport yesterday moving steel around.

Because it was a Sunday?

[Stan]

Also, the walkways definitely need updated as they clash with the new awning. I was also surprised that they were working at the airport yesterday moving steel around.

Because it was a Sunday?

Yeah. I know it's not unheard of, but just surprising and also reassuring that they'll likely get this project done on time.

[Mr.Nuke]

Are there any renderings of the proposed skywalk?

No and again we're talking about this more in the other construction thread, but none of the renderings we have of the terminal drive have a third one there. It could've been because it wasn't designed yet or even being considered. The renderings certainly pre-date the bond filing mentioning it as well as the board meeting agenda. Per the bond filing, design work commenced in October of last year and they expected to potentially authorize construction as soon as this year.

[Mr.Nuke]

2025 Q2 PDEW
Phoenix 354
Denver 284
Los Angeles 273
Chicago 271
New York City 251
Dallas/Fort Worth 247
Washington D.C. 238
Las Vegas 221
Orlando 200
Seattle 175
Atlanta 158
Houston 155
San Francisco 151
Miami 120
Tampa 114
Charlotte 100
Boston 100
Nashville 98
San Diego 90
Philadelphia 90
Minneapolis 86
Salt Lake City 80
Detroit 73
St. Louis 71
Portland 67
Austin 56
New Orleans 53
Raleigh/Durhan 52
Valparaiso 52
San Antonio 48
Sacramento 47
Sanford 43
Jacksonville 33
Cleveland 32
Fort Myers 32
Panama City 31
Columbus 31
Charleston 29
Pittsburgh 29
Pensacola 29
Indianapolis 28
Savannah 27
Sarasota 27
Norfolk 27
Cincinnati 26
Tucson 25
Boise 25
Louisville 23
Richmond 22
Myrtle Beach 22
Reno 22


---
A slight note, this is the last quarterly data to be released on a 10% quarterly sample size. Going forward, carriers are going to have to report 40% of their traffic data monthly. Depending on how the DOT presents this publicly, we should be getting more accurate data.

[Uffda]

Saw this in the weekly TPA newsletter

Off the beaten path: 5 not-so-touristy towns with non-stop flights from TPA

Nebraska, you're up next! TPA's largest carrier, Southwest Airlines, offers seasonal nonstop flights from TPA to Omaha (OMA). If it's your first time visiting this Midwestern gem, consider stopping by the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium or the historic Old Market district, which features shops, restaurants and galleries. Flights between TPA and OMA are scheduled to resume in late November.

https://news.tampaairport.com/off-the-b ... dc4zdnlbo7

[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.

I'm seeing Saturday flights in March, April, and May, and then again per the above apparently going to 5 X weekly in June (looks like Thursday-Monday).

[almighty_tuna]

I will definitely be taking advantage of these new flights. Mrs Tuna and I have a soft spot for San Diego, particularly North Park and Ocean Beach. Can't wait to hit The Joint on Newport Ave for happy hour pork belly tacos!

[InTheRoom]

Unrelated, but was there ever any official announcement that OMA-PHL is seasonal? I was under the impression that it would be year-round, instead it was only offered for 3 months.

Also doesn't make any sense that any traffic OMA-PHL would be seasonal. Neither location is a summer-only tourist hot spot.

[iamjacobm]

Unrelated, but was there ever any official announcement that OMA-PHL is seasonal? I was under the impression that it would be year-round, instead it was only offered for 3 months.

Also doesn't make any sense that any traffic OMA-PHL would be seasonal. Neither location is a summer-only tourist hot spot.

American uses Philly as a hub for flights to Europe. I imagine international travel from Omaha is busier when school is out.

[Mr.Nuke]

Unrelated, but was there ever any official announcement that OMA-PHL is seasonal? I was under the impression that it would be year-round, instead it was only offered for 3 months.

Routes quite often aren't announced as seasonal versus year round. joleo noted at the end of March that appeared to be dropped November 1st.

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

And now that we have a further out schedule it does come back May 21st.

Also doesn't make any sense that any traffic OMA-PHL would be seasonal. Neither location is a summer-only tourist hot spot.

They're not flying this route solely for OMA-PHL. The average total O/D passengers between the two cities last year based on DOT data was 108. They obviously won't capture all of that, but they're throwing 304 seats a day. That is a really good sign that like iamjacobm said they're primarily operating this for connections. And traffic is absolutely seasonal there. Last year there were an average number of 69 total passengers in Q1, 128 in Q2, 122 in Q3, and 111 in Q4. PDEW is half of that. Neither location may be a summer tourism hot spot, but it is also pretty clear there isn't any demand from either location in the first 3 months of the year either (34 PDEW).

They start flying to MIA again seasonally right when they drop PHL. So they're basically swapping destinations for the winter to warmer place with higher demand.

[InTheRoom]

That makes more sense if it's primarily viewed as a connection flight. I've seen quite a few people heading back from international travel on the PHL -> OMA flights. For some reason it never occurred to me that you'd create a direct flight solely for the connection purpose, but that makes sense.

[Mr.Nuke]

The board agenda for next Tuesday's meeting (10/21) has a common use lounge line item. The plan was to select someone by this month and get a contract signed so we'll see if anything comes out via the airport authority and or media this coming week.
https://www.flyoma.com/wp-content/uploa ... -14-25.pdf

[strangerthings]

The board agenda for next Tuesday's meeting (10/21) has a common use lounge line item. The plan was to select someone by this month and get a contract signed so we'll see if anything comes out via the airport authority and or media this coming week.
https://www.flyoma.com/wp-content/uploa ... -14-25.pdf

Hope its an Escape Lounge like what KCI has. Really enjoyed it.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

Hope its an Escape Lounge like what KCI has. Really enjoyed it.

Is that like an escape room? Sounds stressful at an airport

[arch_RP_planner]

https://escapelounges.com/us/airport-lo ... nsas-city/

Not really, its a pretty standard airport lounge, with paid admission. But very cool concepts.

[Garrett]

I think an escape room would be more fun but I didn’t go to school for airports

[Bob from Omaha]

Well, Tulsa has an Escape Lounge & Grand Rapids has The Club Lounge, so why not jump on the band wagon? I'm surprised Des Moines isn't getting one. Both Escape & The Club have lounges around the world in big and smaller airports.

[Bearcat06]

Hope its an Escape Lounge like what KCI has. Really enjoyed it.

Is that like an escape room? Sounds stressful at an airport

If you cannot escape the room, your flight is free. If not...you walk to your destination.

[Bearcat06]

CPE is negotiated between the OAA & the airline on an individual basis, in most cases. LAX is one thing, OMA is another.

Not saying OMA would bribe Allegiant or Frontier but it could happen.

On some level it is via gate rentals/landing fees, etc., but CPE reported by the airport and forecast going forward by the airport is on a cumulative basis. Per Eppley's own bond filings CPE is going up significantly to pay off the terminal. Eppley theoretically has zero incentive to cut corners for Allegiant or Frontier when they represent 5.2% of the airports traffic either. I'm not saying that I think either pull out either, I'm just saying I'm doubting either are happy that Eppley's CPE is going up and it is more likely that the contract rather than expand here near term.

Low Cost airlines are largely on a pretty firm down swing these days anyway from what I've read.

Several are in big trouble.

I can tell you I used to hate Allegiant but now I love it being in Des Moines. It provides so many more options for travelers. Here is Des Moines, my friend's family of 5 went to Portland Oregon for $141 roundtrip each last week. If the price wasn't this, they would not have been able to afford the vacation. I have examples like this every week! Another friend is going to Philly but flying to Newark on Allegiant for $160 roundtrip and taking the train from there. Otherwise, she would not have gone. That said Allegiant and Frontier provide prices that allows people to travel that otherwise couldn't afford it or others that want a nonstop flight and have a flexible schedule. I think Eppley could get up to 15% ULLC (Allegiant and Frontier) with the proper incentives to the airlines and boost the numbers by probably 500k a year from where they are today if Allegiant were to start a base in Omaha like they do Des Moines. And have at least 5 if not 10 additional nonstop destinations!

I got my cousin hooked on Allegiant and he flies to and from Tampa/St Pete a few times a month. So much that if Allegiant doesn't fly Omaha to St Pete in Sept or not on the days he wants, he drives to Des Moines to fly out at least a few times a year.

The one time my wife flew Allegiant with friends they almost got stuck in Florida. They had checked in and were going through TSA when they were informed the OMA flight was canceled. They were lucky to get the last few seats on a flight to Des Moines a few hours later, otherwise Allegiant didn't have another flight to OMA until the next day.

[Ryan Air]

CPE is negotiated between the OAA & the airline on an individual basis, in most cases. LAX is one thing, OMA is another.

Not saying OMA would bribe Allegiant or Frontier but it could happen.

On some level it is via gate rentals/landing fees, etc., but CPE reported by the airport and forecast going forward by the airport is on a cumulative basis. Per Eppley's own bond filings CPE is going up significantly to pay off the terminal. Eppley theoretically has zero incentive to cut corners for Allegiant or Frontier when they represent 5.2% of the airports traffic either. I'm not saying that I think either pull out either, I'm just saying I'm doubting either are happy that Eppley's CPE is going up and it is more likely that the contract rather than expand here near term.

Low Cost airlines are largely on a pretty firm down swing these days anyway from what I've read.

Several are in big trouble.

I can tell you I used to hate Allegiant but now I love it being in Des Moines. It provides so many more options for travelers. Here is Des Moines, my friend's family of 5 went to Portland Oregon for $141 roundtrip each last week. If the price wasn't this, they would not have been able to afford the vacation. I have examples like this every week! Another friend is going to Philly but flying to Newark on Allegiant for $160 roundtrip and taking the train from there. Otherwise, she would not have gone. That said Allegiant and Frontier provide prices that allows people to travel that otherwise couldn't afford it or others that want a nonstop flight and have a flexible schedule. I think Eppley could get up to 15% ULLC (Allegiant and Frontier) with the proper incentives to the airlines and boost the numbers by probably 500k a year from where they are today if Allegiant were to start a base in Omaha like they do Des Moines. And have at least 5 if not 10 additional nonstop destinations!

I got my cousin hooked on Allegiant and he flies to and from Tampa/St Pete a few times a month. So much that if Allegiant doesn't fly Omaha to St Pete in Sept or not on the days he wants, he drives to Des Moines to fly out at least a few times a year.

The one time my wife flew Allegiant with friends they almost got stuck in Florida. They had checked in and were going through TSA when they were informed the OMA flight was canceled. They were lucky to get the last few seats on a flight to Des Moines a few hours later, otherwise Allegiant didn't have another flight to OMA until the next day.

Still hate Allegiant and their one flight every other Tuesday. My sister found out in April why the rest of the family paid $73 more per ticket to fly Southwest from Tampa. She could have waited 2 days for the next flight but opted to have dad buy tickets on WN for her and my niece to come home and also to switch airports. She has credit with Allegiant/straight up bought tickets on them for November flights to Orlando for her and my niece and nephews to go to some cheerleading thing. I learned my lesson years ago the first time I took that trash with a nice emergency landing in Birmingham. “but Ryan, they have newer airbus planes now” — yeah, that they fly 100 times a day, just never to the same place twice that I happen to want to go. While we are giving our Allegiant stories, thought I’d give a healthy dose of reality to balance out the stories of using a throw-away trash airline. As for my sister, Orlando is super busy for G4, so if something happens I’m sure she’ll get a flight somewhere out of there— and home from whatever city that might be… the following Tuesday.

[GenX]

Hope its an Escape Lounge like what KCI has. Really enjoyed it.

Is that like an escape room? Sounds stressful at an airport

If you cannot escape the room, your flight is free. If not...you walk to your destination.

This is the real reason they ask you to arrive two hours before your flight.

[Padre]

From Omaha Scanner

Flight SKW6469 enroute to LA from Omaha is enroute back to Eppley after a report of multiple people that were trying to breach the cockpit.