Nonstop Service Begins to Dulles International
By Ja’Rena Lunsford, The Daily Oklahoman
Jun. 8–American flags and all-American food — apple and cherry pie, Coke, potato chips and ham and turkey sandwiches — greeted United Airlines passengers Thursday as the airline launched nonstop service to the nation’s capital.
All 66 seats were taken on Flight 5404 to Dulles International Airport, a scene Carole Kasper said will become commonplace on this noon route.
“It’s completely sold out this first week,” said Kasper, United general manager at Oklahoma City. United’s return flight, which arrives in Oklahoma City at 7:31 p.m., also will be full.
In February, United announced plans to link Oklahoma travelers to the Washington area. The nonstop service is the only nonstop flight from Oklahoma to the Washington area.
In 2002, the now-defunct Tulsa-based Great Plains Airlines announced it would fly nonstop to Washington, but filed bankruptcy before the service ever got off the ground.
Oklahoma City will have another route to the D.C. area in August, when Southwest Airlines plans to launch nonstop service.
News of United’s direct service from Oklahoma City to Washington was well-received by businessmen and women like Chris Pero, who travels between the two areas about twice a year for work.
Pero, a Fairfax, Va., resident, said he was glad his days of routing through Chicago or Fort Worth were over.
“This is going to be great,” Pero said as he waited for the noon flight. Although he didn’t know United was making his trip shorter until he booked his trip, he said he couldn’t pass up flying nonstop.
“I saw this and I said ‘Let me grab that immediately,’” he said.
Roy Williams, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, applauded United’s confidence in the Oklahoma City market. The chamber expects the nonstop service to serve as an economic development tool, attracting businesses that will find the service convenient.
But business travelers aren’t the only ones taking advantage of the new nonstop flight. For some passengers, the flight was a family affair.
Tempi Johnson sat quietly in the terminal as her 4-year-old son looked out the window at the CRJ-700 regional jet he was to board.
The Oklahoma City family hasn’t visited relatives in Washington for two years because of the difficulty of connecting flights when traveling with a young child, Johnson said.
“I’ve connected in Chicago where I’ve had to get out the stroller and all of that,” she said. “This (nonstop) is much better.”
Mother of three Suman Rathbun agreed.
“Connecting with three kids is no fun,” said Rathbun, getting sandwiches and pie for her three daughters.
The Edmond resident was to fly to Washington earlier this week, but changed plans at the last minute.
“I was supposed to be at a meeting today, but when I found out about the nonstop, I postponed to take the nonstop,” Rathbun said.
United spokeswoman Judy Myers said Dulles is United’s gateway to Europe, providing single connection opportunities to Amsterdam, London, Rome, Paris, Kuwait and other overseas locations.
United’s newest nonstop brings the airline’s total nonstop flights from Oklahoma City to four.
United, which has been operating out of Oklahoma City since 1981, also has nonstop service to Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago.
“We are delighted to extend more services to our Oklahoma City customers,” Kasper said.
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