Update.......Little Rock National Airport.

[LR501]

On 6/4/2020 at 1:58 PM, Architect said:

That's a good question, and something I wondered as well, but I didn't see any indication of any other change in service (even reviewing the forums on airliners dot net).

One thing I noticed when looking for more info on LIT's website is that it doesn't appear United is serving Denver any longer?   That's a shock, and news to me.  I thought both Frontier and United served Denver, and that SWA was a 3rd entrant.  Curious.

It looks like the list on LIT’s website (assuming we are looking at the same thing) reflects temporary route suspensions due to the pandemic. There’s a note below the map saying, “Due to COVID-19, many routes and frequencies are not currently available. Please check with your airline for updates as the reduced list below is subject to change.” So hopefully no permanent losses because of all this...

[Architect]

2 hours ago, LR501 said:

It looks like the list on LIT’s website (assuming we are looking at the same thing) reflects temporary route suspensions due to the pandemic. There’s a note below the map saying, “Due to COVID-19, many routes and frequencies are not currently available. Please check with your airline for updates as the reduced list below is subject to change.” So hopefully no permanent losses because of all this...

That makes sense.

[Arkanzin]

According to today's ADG, Southwest Airlines will begin a daily LIT-ATL route starting November 5.

So from LIT, Southwest will fly directly from LIT to the following:

ATL: 1x Daily

DAL: 2x Daily

DEN: 1x Daily

PHX: 1x Daily (I think)

STL: 1x Daily

[Architect]

17 minutes ago, Arkanzin said:

According to today's ADG, Southwest Airlines will begin a daily LIT-ATL route starting November 5.

So from LIT, Southwest will fly directly from LIT to the following:

ATL: 1x Daily

DAL: 2x Daily

DEN: 1x Daily

PHX: 1x Daily (I think)

STL: 1x Daily

Glad to see that SWA continues to expand destinations, which is remarkable in this disastrous COVID pandemic market...also glad to see that ATL service is only 1x daily...not likely to ruffle Delta service.

[dnashobviously]

10 hours ago, Architect said:

Glad to see that SWA continues to expand destinations, which is remarkable in this disastrous COVID pandemic market...also glad to see that ATL service is only 1x daily...not likely to ruffle Delta service.

 

10 hours ago, Arkanzin said:

According to today's ADG, Southwest Airlines will begin a daily LIT-ATL route starting November 5.

So from LIT, Southwest will fly directly from LIT to the following:

ATL: 1x Daily

DAL: 2x Daily

DEN: 1x Daily

PHX: 1x Daily (I think)

STL: 1x Daily

I wish they’d bring back the direct flight to Houston.  

[Architect]

I wish they’d bring back the direct flight to Houston.  

Yeah, that was pretty recent, but obviously a casualty of the pandemic I suppose.


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[theman]

I’ll miss the direct flight to Vegas. 
Need the competition to Atlanta. Those prices can be high on Delta.

Edited October 6, 2020 by theman

[Walls99]

There will be a temporary new non-stop route between LIT and PHX on American Eagle. According to the airport website, the route will only be operated from December 17 thought January 4. Not even one month! Not sure if that could imply a future permanent, or at least seasonal route, would happen once the uncertainty due to Covid-19 is over.

[Architect]

10 minutes ago, Walls99 said:

There will be a temporary new non-stop route between LIT and PHX on American Eagle. According to the airport website, the route will only be operated from December 17 thought January 4. Not even one month! Not sure if that could imply a future permanent, or at least seasonal route, would happen once the uncertainty due to Covid-19 is over.

That duration is unusually short...hope it is a precursor to broader service once enplanements begin to normalize.

[Wayward Memphian]

American did MEM/LAX for the Christmas period last year.

 

I've seen some odd stuff during this..DL tried to sell nonstop MEM/IND. It got scrapped before it started. Southwest is adding Sarasota FL. If they think they can lose less money flying a route than it just sitting they'll try it. I'm shocked they haven't dipped their toes into XNA and TYS.

[Architect]

American did MEM/LAX for the Christmas period last year.
 
I've seen some odd stuff during this..DL tried to sell nonstop MEM/IND. It got scrapped before it started. Southwest is adding Sarasota FL. If they think they can lose less money flying a route than it just sitting they'll try it. I'm shocked they haven't dipped their toes into XNA and TYS.

Agreed. Whatever works.

Regarding SWA, if they ever opt for XNA (possibly in the next 10 years), it will mostly impact TUL...much more so than LIT.


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[Architect]

Frontier has announced new Las Vegas service, twice weekly, beginning on March 11, 2021.

[Wayward Memphian]

Looks like AA will be adding MIA to LIT. 

[Architect]

21 minutes ago, Wayward Memphian said:

Looks like AA will be adding MIA to LIT. 

Wow.  That would be impressive.  What equipment?  E-175?

[theman]

12 hours ago, Architect said:

Wow.  That would be impressive.  What equipment?  E-175?

Yes. It will be on E-175’s and it will be a Saturday only flight from what I have read.

[Architect]

Yes. It will be on E-175’s and it will be a Saturday only flight from what I have read.

Yeah, I saw the Saturday only...sort of odd, but would work very well for cruise connections.


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[skirby]

1 hour ago, Architect said:

Yeah, I saw the Saturday only...sort of odd, but would work very well for cruise connections.


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I wouldn't count on the cruise connections anytime soon.

[Architect]

I wouldn't count on the cruise connections anytime soon.

Agreed...hopefully sooner rather than later, but probably a year or two out from normal.


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[Engineer]

Allegiant is adding nonstop St Pete-Clearwater (PIE) to Little Rock, seasonal, twice weekly from May 27.

American Miami-Little Rock will be once weekly on E175, from June 5, and it seems like it will start as seasonal too.

[jnholmes]

I just flew into LIT and saw a billboard in the airport announcing new service to Atlanta and Denver on Southwest Airlines.

[Wayward Memphian]

On 2/27/2021 at 9:58 PM, jnholmes said:

I just flew into LIT and saw a billboard in the airport announcing new service to Atlanta and Denver on Southwest Airlines.

That's not anything really new but Southwest adding service to  Destin(VPS) and Bozeman(BZN) are. 

The  BZN flights were dirt cheap last week, under 6k in points one way out of Tul 

[Architect]

That's not anything really new but Southwest adding service to  Destin(VPS) and Bozeman(BZN) are. 
The  BZN flights were dirt cheap last week, under 6k in points one way out of Tul 

VPS and BZN as new markets for Southwest, or as destinations from LIT? I can see Destin, but surely not Bozeman...


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[Wayward Memphian]

18 hours ago, Architect said:

VPS and BZN as new markets for Southwest, or as destinations from LIT? I can see Destin, but surely not Bozeman...


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New markets for Southwest.  As for Little Rock... Destin connections via DAL and Bozeman connections via DEN. You are seeing Allegiant eat into Southwest customer base. Allegiant is about to have their own 6 gate concourse at VPS. Has to be hurting Pensacola and Panama City numbers. Same reason they started Sarasota. More leasure travel and less business travel during and immediately post Covid.  Shocked they haven't announced TYS/Knoxville yet.  Airports all around XNA size are getting Southwest service. Fresno is another one Southwest has started. There's  Palm Springs and Santa Barbara as well for new Covid markets.

[Wayward Memphian]

These rankings are bases on 2019 Pre Covid numbers. 

XNA was 99th and had the second largest percentage of growth in the nation getting beat out by only Sarasota which saw big growth in new markets and airlines

The first set is places added during 2020 to the best of my recollection.

 

New markets:

85- Palm Springs

97- Sarasota

98-Fresno

105- Colorado Springs (with DEN just up the road)

107- Destin/Fort Walton

109- Bozeman

127- Jackson MS. (A return after ending service years ago)

132- Santa Barbara

133-Key West(same deal as Jackson MS)

 

There are very few exceptions between  81(Tulsa) and 102(Wichita) and 103(Manchester NH) without Southwest service now including 99-XNA

86-Mrytle Beach

89-Syracuse 

90- Knoxville

91-Madison

92-St Pete(allegiant stronghold alternative to Tampa)

96-Greensboro 

101-Weschester NY( will drop big after Norwegian TATL has now stopped forever)

See the ones listed further up that were ranked lower with service now.

Madison, Knoxville and XNA considering their growth and especially the long term growth potential of XNA nearly doubling in 20 years should be seeing Southwest but haven't yet. Now is the perfect time to strike against the Big 3 for leasure traveling. 

 

Edited March 2, 2021 by Wayward Memphian

[Architect]

On 3/2/2021 at 2:30 PM, Wayward Memphian said:

....especially the long term growth potential of XNA nearly doubling in 20 years should be seeing Southwest but haven't yet. Now is the perfect time to strike against the Big 3 for leasure traveling. 

 

I've read this elsewhere, and for what it's worth, I think that prediction is optimistic, to put it lightly.  NWA is unlikely to be any larger in population than Central Arkansas in 20 years (at best, equal to), so what would be the basis for projecting airline traffic to increase by that factor?  That would be even more than TUL (which admittedly isn't tremendously higher than LIT).