Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA)

[KJW]

Airport officials moved ahead Wednesday with plans to expand the ticket counter and security checkpoint space and on the design of an upper-level concourse.

This is a move the airport needs for extra space to handle existing airlines and to help bring in a low-cost carrier to attract more travelers,

The airport board awarded a $ 4. 4 million contract to Nabholz Construction in Rogers to expand the ticket counter and security checkpoint area. The roughly $ 6 million project will extend the counter by 90 feet to make room for two more airlines. It is expected to be completed in 2007.

The board also chose a concept design plan for an estimated $ 15 million upper-level concourse on the airport

[Mith242]

Yeah that's nice to hear that they are going ahead even though growth has started to slow a bit.

[mcheiss]

I forgot to mention this a while back, but the airport has approved a contract with a construction company from Dallas will be building a Cargo Facililty. No designs have been released, but apparently several tenants have been interested in the facility.

[masons_dad1]

I forgot to mention this a while back, but the airport has approved a contract with a construction company from Dallas will be building a Cargo Facililty. No designs have been released, but apparently several tenants have been interested in the facility.

At least it's a step in the right direction for XNA to someday include international cargo flights, which is what Wal-Mart and Tyson have been vying for from the conception of XNA.

[mcheiss]

At least it's a step in the right direction for XNA to someday include international cargo flights, which is what Wal-Mart and Tyson have been vying for from the conception of XNA.

I thought that was just an april fool's joke?

[razorbackfan]

The June number have been released for XNA, and the growth continues, although not a lot. May and June were pretty solid months for the airport, however, Jan, March, and April were terrible months for the airport compared to last year. I am hoping that a solid growth curve will continue so that a discount airline will come to XNA. Also, does anyone know why the spaces go away once I post the numbers below. I have it formatted and it looks good, but once I post the spaces go away, and its about to piss me off.

Enplane Non-Rev Total Enplane Deplane Non-Rev Total Deplane Total

June 05 55,923 2,347 58,270 53,981 2,480 56,461 114,731

June 06 56,831 2,660 59,491 53,082 3,698 56,780 116,271

YTD 05 277,107 11,318 288,425 277,740 11,812 289,552 577,977

YTD 06 277,684 11,052 288,736 276,765 12,539 289,304 578,040

Edited July 13, 2006 by razorbackfan

[masons_dad1]

The June number have been released for XNA, and the growth continues, although not a lot. May and June were pretty solid months for the airport, however, Jan, March, and April were terrible months for the airport compared to last year. I am hoping that a solid growth curve will continue so that a discount airline will come to XNA. Also, does anyone know why the spaces go away once I post the numbers below. I have it formatted and it looks good, but once I post the spaces go away, and its about to piss me off.

Enplane Non-Rev Total Enplane Deplane Non-Rev Total Deplane Total

June 05 55,923 2,347 58,270 53,981 2,480 56,461 114,731

June 06 56,831 2,660 59,491 53,082 3,698 56,780 116,271

YTD 05 277,107 11,318 288,425 277,740 11,812 289,552 577,977

YTD 06 277,684 11,052 288,736 276,765 12,539 289,304 578,040

We're a long way off from getting a discount airline. I believe total enplanements/deplanements would have to be about a million each.

[razorbackfan]

We're a long way off from getting a discount airline. I believe total enplanements/deplanements would have to be about a million each.

Last year XNA has nearly 600,000 enplanemnts/deplanements each. Personally I dont think we are that far away. The airport is expanding its ticket counter, and the terminal to one day get a discount airline. I don't think they would be doing this expanding if they didn't think they were pretty close, maybe in 3-5 years I hope.

[mcheiss]

That growth probably resulted from the Shareholder's meeting.

Since XNA has lost several flights over the past year (2 Minneapolis, 1 Detriot, 1 Orlando), I don't see XNA's growth becoming exponential with the current situation of airlines. I hope Northwest Airlines and Delta can bring back those flights, they were quite popular. I just got done checking Northwest's website and nearly all flights to destinations out of XNA are sold out. Without additional flights, I don't see a lot of huge growth at XNA.

[razorbackfan]

That growth probably resulted from the Shareholder's meeting.

Since XNA has lost several flights over the past year (2 Minneapolis, 1 Detriot, 1 Orlando), I don't see XNA's growth becoming exponential with the current situation of airlines. I hope Northwest Airlines and Delta can bring back those flights, they were quite popular. I just got done checking Northwest's website and nearly all flights to destinations out of XNA are sold out. Without additional flights, I don't see a lot of huge growth at XNA.

Your right, I think without new flights being added the growth at XNA will not rise a lot, like it has in the past. Also when I compared the june 05 to june 06, the shareholders meeting was the first week of june in both years, so you are comparing the two.

[mcheiss]

My List of Flights that should come:

The Detroit flight should definately be added back, the flight was sold out everyday no joke.

Memphis Flights should be bumped back up to Northwest status instead of Northwest Airlink.

A second Minneapolis Flight should be added since only one flight is in service.

Orlando should be put back, since it would be XNA's only real tourist flight.

A Low-Fare Airline Service should be put in NWA only when expansion is complete. I recommend Jetblue, since it will have flights to the East Coast and West Coast, and the fact that it will be reaching to smaller markets across the U.S. in the near future.

[jdevers]

The Orlando flight had a lot more to do with the Orlando side and Delta's troubles than XNA. My father-in-law rode the one and only flight and it was completely sold out. Since that time, Delta has shifted a LOT of direct flights out of that airport (which is dominated by Continental in my experience) due to their general scaling back.

[Aporkalypse]

The Orlando flight had a lot more to do with the Orlando side and Delta's troubles than XNA. My father-in-law rode the one and only flight and it was completely sold out. Since that time, Delta has shifted a LOT of direct flights out of that airport (which is dominated by Continental in my experience) due to their general scaling back.

You're right, it's hard to get anywhere on Delta these days without going to Atlanta first.

[vbfl85]

thank goodness they kept Little Rock to Orlando, I'll be flying it on sunday. cant wait!!

[KJW]

thank goodness they kept Little Rock to Orlando, I'll be flying it on sunday. cant wait!!

June 2006 was apparently the best month ever to date for enplanements at XNA...wonder how many there would have been had Delta kepts their XNA-Orlando (or I guess I should say "MCO") flights?

Despite the great June, enplanements year to date are "flat" compared to last year...the airport is apparently operating at capacity. What a conundrum for the airport officials (and NWA in general).

[Mith242]

Yeah even though overall things seem to be slowing down a bit at XNA they are still going ahead with plans to expand certain areas of the airport. Because to be honest they can't really keep growing anyway with it being the size that it is.

[razorbackfan]

Yeah even though overall things seem to be slowing down a bit at XNA they are still going ahead with plans to expand certain areas of the airport. Because to be honest they can't really keep growing anyway with it being the size that it is.

Has anyone been to XNA lately?? I know they expanded the luggage claims area, and last time I was there it was still under construction. I will at XNA in three weeks, but I didn't know if that constuction was done yet or not.

[jdevers]

Has anyone been to XNA lately?? I know they expanded the luggage claims area, and last time I was there it was still under construction. I will at XNA in three weeks, but I didn't know if that constuction was done yet or not.

It is not finished. Right now they have a giant clear plastic sheet separating the current luggage area from the new area. At least as of last weekend.

[mcheiss]

Has anyone been to XNA lately?? I know they expanded the luggage claims area, and last time I was there it was still under construction. I will at XNA in three weeks, but I didn't know if that constuction was done yet or not.

I was there just a few hours ago.

The Area still has the plastic sheet seperating the two luggage claim carousels, but it looks like it's just about done.

[mcheiss]

Well Emplaments were up at XNA for the month of July 2006 over 2005.

July 2006 - 53,491

July 2005 - 53,436

Not much of a jump, but when you consider the amount of flights lost, it's probably a large improvement.

[Mith242]

Good point, we have unfortauntely lost some flights. Although I think that's been a trend at a lot of other airports as well.

[razorbackfan]

Well Emplaments were up at XNA for the month of July 2006 over 2005.

July 2006 - 53,491

July 2005 - 53,436

Not much of a jump, but when you consider the amount of flights lost, it's probably a large improvement.

I think the lose of flights hurt, however, I think the growth of double digit growth at XNA is coming to a halt. With more and more suppliers moving to NWA, you are going to have fewer and fewer flying to XNA all the time, I would love to see a few more flights added, especially to Orlando and to Las Vegas. I would think a Vegas flight would do really well out of XNA.

[mcheiss]

Orlando was they're, but Delta took it away to cut costs.

[Mith242]

Yeah a lot of airlines have been looking to cut costs. XNA isn't the only airport to have lost flights recently. I saw something on the news that I found slightly irritating. They were interviewing people at XNA over the new protocols from the London incident. He referred to it as the Bentonville airport.

[Mith242]

Okay maybe someone who knows more about airports can explain this to me. In today's Northwest Arkansas Times they are reporting that Drake Field here in Fayetteville was busier than XNA during the month of June. Drake Field logged 6,934 operations compared to XNA's 5,059. Can anyone explain what an operatio is compared to a flight? And how can Drake be busier than XNA? If Drake keeps doing well could this end up drawing more Fayetteville back to Drake and possibly hurt XNA having two airports instead of just one regional one?