MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — As the holidays approach, you might be looking at some flight options, and one way you can avoid the holiday hustle and bustle is by flying local.
- According to a recent study the average daily passenger for Waco regional airport is 156 people, and during the holiday season that number only increases to 159 people.
- Waco regional Airport typically has a 72% load factor, with around 145-150 seats sold daily from January to October.
- At DFW Airport you could be paying over $20 a day to park, but at Waco Regional Airport, parking is free.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Nearly 80 million americans are expected to travel for the holiday season, and a few of those people are flying in and out of the Waco Regional Airport.
“Im seeing my wife off, she’s flying to the phillipines,” McLennan County resident Richard Layton said.
“I came here to Waco to see what Joanna and Chip built at Magnolia,” Orlando resident Keirli McLeman said.
According to a recent study the average daily passenger for Waco regional airport is 156 people, and during the holiday season that number only increases to 159 people.
"I just feel like everyone is kind of more laid back here, whereas in Dallas, there is more of a rush," Keirli McLeman said.
Let's break down the numbers: if you fly American Airlines to Orlando for Thanksgiving,
You leave on the 27th and plan to return on December 1st.
The cheapest flight out of Dallas Fort Worth round-trip could cost $616.
Flying out of Waco Regional Airport round-trip with a connecting flight to Dallas could cost $625.
"I like it," Layton said. " It's more convenient, I guess, if we drove up there and left the car there, and it might be cheaper in the long run to fly out of here."
Another expense to consider is parking. At the DFW airport, you could be paying over $20 a day to park, but in Waco, parking is free. Interim Aviation Director Michael Reisman reminds travelers to consider the burden they're putting on themselves before they book their holiday vacation.
"It starts making a lot more sense sometimes to go and spend the extra 30 or $40 per ticket out of Waco because by the time you're done paying for parking, maybe it was the same money, maybe it was even a little bit less," Michael Reisman said.
Because Waco Regional Airport sees fewer passengers than larger airports, 25News' Dominique Leh asked Reisman if there's any danger of losing the service. Reisman said that's not something that's at risk right now.
