The Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport is preparing to launch its long-awaited direct flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, with service beginning Feb. 26 through Contour Airlines. Airport Director Tristan Durbin said anticipation is high both inside and outside the terminal.
“We’re super excited,” Durbin said. “It seems like it’s been perceived very well. I think there’s a lot of general excitement about it. It opens up a completely different market than what we were able to offer with Chicago.”
Flights to Charlotte Douglas International Airport will run five days a week — every day except Tuesday and Saturday — complementing the airport’s current daily service to Chicago O’Hare. The new destination provides expanded connectivity for travelers throughout the eastern U.S., as well as international options including the Caribbean.
“Charlotte does very well with connections all up the East Coast — New York, Boston, Philadelphia — and down to Florida and the Caribbean,” Durbin said. “It should benefit both business and leisure travelers.”
While specific ticket sales data is not available locally, Durbin said Contour officials have expressed optimism about the route’s potential.
“They haven’t provided exact numbers, but we’ve had conversations about advanced bookings and future outlook,” he said. “They’re encouraged by it and say it shows all the early signs of a strong market.”
Durbin said the Charlotte addition was approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) because it did not require any additional subsidy through the Essential Air Service (EAS) program.
“Contour was willing to offer Charlotte service with no additional subsidy cost. They’re doing it all within the existing amount that DOT had already approved, so DOT was okay with it,” he said.
Durbin also confirmed that changes to the Chicago schedule — announced previously — remain in place. Owensboro will now offer one daily flight to Chicago, instead of two, to make room for Charlotte service on five of those days.
The airport is currently in the middle of its EAS contract renewal process, which governs federally subsidized air service to the region. Bids from interested airlines are due to the DOT by Feb. 4.
“We’ve had meetings with several different air carriers over the past month,” Durbin said. “I truly expect it to be a competitive bid process, which is a good thing for our community.”
After proposals are submitted, DOT will forward them to local officials for review and recommendations before awarding a new contract. Owensboro’s current agreement with Contour runs through July, meaning no changes to service are anticipated before then.
Durbin emphasized that Owensboro is in a strong position as a market for daily jet service, noting the airport had never previously offered that level of service before Contour’s arrival.
“We’ve kind of grown to a market that can sustain daily jet service, which is something we hadn’t always been,” he said. “That’s been a very positive thing for us.”
Though no major construction projects are underway, Durbin said several infrastructure updates are getting closer to a start date. In the meantime, airport officials remain focused on maximizing the success of the new Charlotte route and maintaining consistent performance in Chicago.
“We’re in a good spot,” Durbin said. “It’s a really exciting time.”
