Manhattan, KS: AMERICAN Airlines has reinstated larger regional jets to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) after a seasonal break as a part of Manhattan’s commercial airline service to DFW and Chicago O’Hare (ORD) airports. The Bombardier CRJ-700 (CR7) offers first-class seating and additional overhead bin storage while carrying a greater number of total passengers. The aircraft also offers a significantly greater gross takeoff weight allowing for additional checked baggage, important to the region for transportation of Ft. Riley soldiers and families.
“It continues to be an exciting time to fly MHK,” said Jesse Romo, airport director for Manhattan Regional Airport. “Not only have the larger jets returned, but we’re also adding a third flight to Chicago for the summer.”
The new third-daily flight to Chicago will be offered beginning July 7th. This flight has been added to support the increased demand for summertime travel to or through Chicago O’Hare. Currently, the flight is scheduled to be offered for approximately 30 days, based on the historic seasonal demand. The airport expects the temporary additional service to end August 4th but is hopeful that if the community uses the service then it potentially could stay.
The continued activity at the airport indicates the region’s increasing usage of the airport. “Enplanements continue to be on the rise as January, February and March numbers have all exceeded last year’s numbers,” said Romo. The year-to-date total enplanements have increased 12% over 2017’s totals. “The reason why MHK continues to be a success is because of all the people who chose to fly local, and we can’t thank you all enough.”