One question I am frequently asked is in regard to the Lincoln Airport and air service in and out of Lincoln. I want to share with you my response.
Air service in Lincoln is good and getting better.
The Lincoln Airport has flights to Chicago, Minneapolis, and Denver. Quite frankly, you can get to and from just about anywhere you want to go by traveling from Lincoln. For some travelers, the flight times might not always be perfect, but the service is there to use and it is convenient.
The missing link in the airport’s destination options has always been a flight south. If you are headed to Charlotte, Orlando, or New Orleans, your journey could take you any number of ways, flying you east, west, or even further north just to get south.
I’m happy to say, that problem should be solved this month. Beginning in September, Delta has agreed to add a flight to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. The flight departs daily from Lincoln at 7:00 a.m. and will arrive in Atlanta at 10:17 a.m. The return flight leaves Atlanta at 7:15 p.m. and lands in Lincoln at 8:42 p.m. central time. By utilizing the service, you will be able to make connecting flights to a number of new final destinations including: Boston, New Orleans, Tampa, Cancun, the Caribbean, and South America. The new flight and its added final destinations should make it easier for business travelers and recreational travelers alike to gain more flexibility in their schedules.
We must utilize the new service to keep it. If our initial instinct is to look at flights out of Omaha, we will never improve or even maintain what we have now. Again, we can either use it – or lose it.
I want to come back to the word convenient I used earlier. Everyone’s situation is different, but for me short wait times, close parking access, and few security hassles are worth any minuscule cost differences between flying out of Lincoln versus flying out of Omaha.
For a true cost comparison, you have to ask yourself, “How much is my time worth?” To illustrate my point, go the Lincoln Airport’s website (www.lincolnairport.com) and take their LNK vs. OMA challenge. The app, located about half-way down the right side of the page, will ask you questions about your length of stay, your mileage costs, and how much you value your time. It will then add those costs to the price of a ticket out of Omaha for the same flight and give you the “real cost” of flying out of Omaha. The final cost comparison may not be as different as you think.
Can the Lincoln Airport improve? The answer is yes. Can we all help in making it better by utilizing the good service we have today? Again, the answer is yes!
As your Chamber President, I am asking you to fly Lincoln first!
by Wendy Birdsall, President
Lincoln Chamber of Commerce
402-436-2350
The Chamber’s mission is to improve the lives of Lincoln residents by providing increased economic opportunity and can only be accomplished together. Networking opportunities, business advocacy, and creating economic viability are critical to our success. We encourage you to become a member and help us achieve these goals for Lincoln. For more information, please contact our Membership Director, Kristin Holmes, kholmes@lcoc.com.