The number of flights through Columbia Regional Airport will increase substantially this fall as American Airlines boosts its capacity and United Airlines flights resume next week.
One daily United flight to Denver and two to Chicago will begin Sept. 25, the first since the airline suspended its flights during the COVID-19 pandemic. The flight to Denver stopped in 2020, and flights to Chicago ended in 2022.
Airport Manager Mike Parks said he has been in conversation with United since its departure due to staff and resource restrictions in 2022.
Parks said American will add flights to Dallas and Chicago on peak travel days through January, increasing the seat capacity to an average of 26% over last year.
United Airlines
The flight to Denver will depart from Columbia daily at 9 a.m., and one flight leaves for Chicago in the morning and another in the afternoon. Return flights leave Denver in the evening, and depart from Chicago at midday and late evening.
A $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation gave resources for United to serve Columbia again. Denver has long been one of the top 10 travel destinations for mid-Missouri travelers, Parks said.
Travelers can find the United ticket counter to the left of the existing American counter, and baggage claim will be a shared space with American Airlines.
American Airlines
American Airlines will add flights on peak travel days to alleviate the strong demand for seats seen in previous years. The periodic flights will add more seat capacity for Chicago through January compared to last year.
Peak travel days fall primarily around three-day weekends and holidays, especially Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.
In addition, the airline will have a game day flight from Birmingham to Columbia for Alabama fans to attend the football game against Mizzou on Oct. 11. The flight will depart on Oct. 10 and return Oct. 12.
Parks said it is currently the only game day flight created for the Columbia airport, though an existing Dallas flight has been designated as a game day flight for the Texas A&M game at Mizzou on Nov. 8. The flight will depart Nov. 7 and return Nov 9.
“We continue (to have) conversations with both airlines about or hope to have more game day flights in the future,” Parks said.
More parking
The airport is also under construction to add 181 new paved parking spaces, an addition to the free parking already offered. Limited parking has meant that some travelers must park in the grassy areas between lots.
Airport Drive from the entrance to the facility to the rental car offices is eventually going to be repaved, Parks said.
