Cities in Oklahoma get flights to Denver

Two cities in Oklahoma will get a big boost in airline business when they begin serving flights to and from Denver, Colorado.

Ponca City and Enid, thanks to federal funding through the essential air service program, will now be served by the Cheyenne, Wyoming-based discount carrier Great Lakes Airlines.

The two-year contracts with Great Lakes Airlines in both cities are worth about $1 million.

Serving small cities is a significant risk as sometimes airplanes with 20 seats only carry one passenger.

However, the government program enables smaller airlines to serve more local cities without taking on the risks, as it promises to reimburse airlines for the amount they have lost and add a five per cent profit.

Director of public works for Ponca City, Craig Stephenson, believes the flights will help boost the economy for both cities.

He said: "It's a tremendous asset to have scheduled commercial air, as its critical to companies wanting to relocate here."

For travelers in rural Oklahoma and the surrounding area it is a great chance to find a cheap airfare to other areas in the US and abroad.

Once in Denver, they are in an airport that serves hundreds of domestic destinations as well as numerous areas in Mexico and the Caribbean.

Furthermore, Denver is served by discount carrier Southwest Airlines that can take a passenger nearly anywhere in the United States for a reasonable airfare.

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