Flights

Storms in Texas were just a minor bump in the road for brand new air service between Garden City and Dallas. The American Eagle flights started this week. The city lobbied hard for the flights as part of the federal Essential Air Service program, which subsidizes service at small airports. The airport did a study which found Texas was a top destination for people flying from southwest Kansas. Despite storms in Dallas grounding some American flights on Tuesday, airport officials say the service has been good and passengers have been excited.

The massive winter storm moving across the central United States has led to thousands of flight cancellations from coast-to-coast. There are major delays and cancellations in Chicago, Dallas, the three major New York City airports and Boston. Delays are also reported in Los Angeles, Washington and Atlanta, which are not in the path of the storm. In all, some 10,000 flights are impacted. AirTran, United, Delta, American and Continental all cancelled flights into and out of Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport on Tuesday.

Flying out of Wichita is about to become more difficult.  Frontier Airlines announced it plans to stop flying from Wichita to Denver.  That means the two daily flights from Wichita will end November 15.  A spokesperson for Frontier says they are stopping the flights because they have been under performing. The airline will contact travelers who booked flights after the stop date and offer them a flight on another airline or a refund.  The change means United Airlines will be the only airline to fly to Denver.  Allegiant offers flights to Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix-Mesa.

Thousands of travelers are still facing delays and canceled flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, a day after tornadoes hit north Texas.     The flight-tracking service FlightAware estimates 50,000 travelers were impacted on Tuesday and 30,000 on Wednesday.     American Airlines says more than 400 flights in and out of the airport were cancelled for Wednesday after about 800 flights were cancelled Tuesday. Dallas in American's main hub.     American is still inspecting nearly 100 planes for possible hail damage.

SeaPort airlines will fly out of the Salina Airport for at least another four years, after the federal government renews its contract. The U.S. Department of Transportation renewed its contract with SeaPort Monday to provide three daily flights, six days a week from Salina. The carrier receives $1.49 million in subsidies a year as part of the federal Essential Air Service program. That program helps pay for air service at small or regional airports. The Salina Airport Authority says the typical E.A.S.

Travelers flying through Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport may experience delays due to an increase in passengers and budget cuts tied to sequestration. Airlines are reporting full flights for spring break travelers through next week. On top of the busy travel season, airports are also feeling the impact of federal reductions. The Transportation Security Administration was forced to eliminate overtime, limiting the agency's ability to staff additional workers during heavy travel periods.

A storm system that brought more than 30 tornadoes to gulf coast states has covered roads in much of the eastern half of the country with ice and snow. That means a lot of Americans may be spending an extra day or two with the family members they visited for Christmas, including family in Wichita. “We expected to be leaving here at this point. We chose Wichita over Tulsa & Oklahoma City because we thought Wichita's always easy to get in and out of, but here we are!” said airline passengers Betsy & Judy.

Officials in Garden City say they will move forward with a request for service to Texas in addition to the air service it currently has. Earlier this summer Garden City asked Dodge City to share some of its federal "essential air service" dollars.    Garden City had hoped to attract American Eagle flights to Texas instead of the current Great Lakes Aviation flights to Denver. Last week Dodge City voted to continue its current service to Denver. Despite the decision, and higher price tag, Garden City officials have gone ahead submitted a formal request for the American Eagle service.

Passengers aboard a United plane that got stuck on a taxiway at Mid-Continent Airport, have deplaned without any problems. The airport said a pilot took a wrong turn after landing on an unplowed taxiway, getting the aircraft stuck in the snow. Crews were called to help shovel a path around the landing gear to help free the plane. Passengers were taken to the terminal safely. The Denver flight was one of just a few flights that landed at Mid-Continent Thursday. Several flights had been canceled due to the record snowfall.

The fog is being blamed for most of the accidents that happened Wednesday morning in Sedgwick County. Dispatchers say there were 27, most of which were minor. But drivers say too many cars were going too fast for the conditions. "A bunch of my friends today said they've almost been rear ended," said Chris Pence who was out on the roads in the fog. "A lot of people don't have their lights on," said Jennifer Brownlee, who was also out driving Wednesday. The fog is also the cause of several delayed and cancelled flights at Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport.

Southwest Airlines finally lands in Wichita. Hundreds of passengers lined-up to take-off. When passengers stepped off the inaugural flight Sunday afternoon, there were cheers all around. Plans have been in the works for years.  "When are we going to get Southwest?  For years, 20 years before me,  elected officials would be asked that and would say, we're working on it, we're working on it. So persistence, hard work, these are our benefits today," said Mayor Carl Brewer.

Many Shocker fans will watch the NCAA tournament from home. As players gear up for the big dance, some fans find themselves stranded in Wichita. Bob Hanson with the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission wanted to take about 100 people on a chartered flight to Salt Lake City. He joined forces with the WSU Alumni Association and planned the trip. But Hanson was shocked to find out the interest was not as great as last year. "The planes are expensive and we just didn't have enough so we had to cancel it," said Hanson.

A commemoration of the attack on Pearl Harbor and a poster contest will highlight the 2013 Wichita Flight Festival. The festival will take place Sept. 28 and 29 at Wichita's Jabara Airport. The headline act of the air shows will be TORA TORA TORA, the Commemorative Air Force's recreation of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This year, organizers also added a poster contest. The contest is open to anyone 18 and older. People taking part are asked to create poster designs to showcase the Air Capital.

Travelers flying through Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport may experience delays due to an increase in passengers and budget cuts tied to sequestration. Airlines are reporting full flights for spring break travelers through next week. On top of the busy travel season, airports are also feeling the impact of federal reductions. The Transportation Security Administration was forced to eliminate overtime, limiting the agency's ability to staff additional workers during heavy travel periods.

Passengers aboard a United plane that got stuck on a taxiway at Mid-Continent Airport, have deplaned without any problems. The airport said a pilot took a wrong turn after landing on an unplowed taxiway, getting the aircraft stuck in the snow. Crews were called to help shovel a path around the landing gear to help free the plane. Passengers were taken to the terminal safely. The Denver flight was one of just a few flights that landed at Mid-Continent Thursday. Several flights had been canceled due to the record snowfall.

Fewer people took to the skies through Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport in 2012. The airport says some airlines dropped flights, causing a 2% drop in the number of passengers.  Frontier Airlines stopped flights to Denver, losing around 200 seats each way. Allegiant Airlines stopped seasonal service to Los Angeles. In 2012, there were 33 flights in and out of Wichita each day. In 2003 there were 55 daily flights. Many flyers we talked to wish there were more flight options, but experts say airlines are changing ways.

Did you hear about the plane that made an emergency landing because a passenger was upset someone next to her paid less for his ticket? The JetBlue flight was headed from New York to San Diego when it diverted to Denver. The woman passenger started fighting with the flight crew No charges have been filed. JetBlue called it a customer service issue. Read more here.

A storm system that brought more than 30 tornadoes to gulf coast states has covered roads in much of the eastern half of the country with ice and snow. That means a lot of Americans may be spending an extra day or two with the family members they visited for Christmas, including family in Wichita. “We expected to be leaving here at this point. We chose Wichita over Tulsa & Oklahoma City because we thought Wichita's always easy to get in and out of, but here we are!” said airline passengers Betsy & Judy.