- American Airlines will fly daily between Appleton and Dallas during a new year-round route.
- This is the third nonstop airport Appleton International Airport will add in 2023, including Portland, Oregon, and Newark, New Jersey.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this article stated that the new route was seasonal. Updated to reflect that the Dallas route will operate year-round.
GREENVILLE – American Airlines will begin nonstop service this summer between Appleton International Airport and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas.
The Fort Worth-based airline announced Tuesday that it will begin daily service between Appleton and Dallas starting June 6.
“Opening the door to the world of Dallas and beyond for business and leisure travelers alike,” Pam Seidl, executive director of the Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in an announcement at ATW. I'm very excited to be able to do it.”
American Airlines also announced that it will upgrade its winter seasonal route to Charlotte, North Carolina, to year-round service starting next year.
Dallas will be American's third nonstop flight to Appleton since it began service to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in July 2017.
“(American Airlines) is an incredibly powerful company that can take travelers virtually anywhere in the world for our community,” Appleton Airport Director Abe Weber said at a press conference. We've built a network.”
Daily flights from Appleton to Dallas begin in June
American Airlines plans to fly daily between Appleton and Dallas year-round.
The flight is scheduled to depart Appleton at 7 a.m. and arrive in Dallas at 9:35 a.m. The return flight from Dallas departs at 6:30 p.m. and arrives in Appleton at 8:55 p.m.
Dallas will be the third nonstop route added to Appleton in 2023
Dallas joins Appleton's new nonstop service announced in 2023, following Allegiant Air's announcement earlier this year of nonstop service to New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport and Oregon's Portland International Airport. This is the third destination for the flight.
“We will now provide direct service to the hubs of all major carriers,” Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson said in the announcement. “It will connect us no matter where we are in the world.”
With Tuesday's announcement, Appleton now has direct flights to 18 destinations across the country. Now, travelers in Northeast Wisconsin can access more than 285 domestic destinations with one additional stop and more than 90 international destinations with one additional stop.
New flights announced as airport enters record busy season
Appleton International Airport is on track to have a record-breaking year of traffic, with an expected 948,000 passengers arriving and departing from the airport by the end of 2023.
The airport plans to increase passenger numbers by 11% from the end of 2022 to the end of 2023.
Weber said the airport's continued growth (up from 846,000 passengers in 2022) as more flight options and more people realize the benefits of flying from Appleton for vacation. increase).
American Airlines also saw an increase in passenger traffic to and from Appleton this year. As of October, the airline had carried 97,146 passengers year-to-date, an increase of 34% year-on-year, according to ATW Airlines statistics.
Airport breaks ground on $66 million expansion project
ATW broke ground this fall on a $66 million expansion project that will more than double its concourse to improve traveler amenities and introduce more flights.
Over the next three years, the airport will add four more gates, a new beer garden, additional boarding area seating, a sensory support room, a quiet room and a service animal rescue area.
These changes are the first phase of a total $105 million terminal expansion. The next phase, which has not yet been designed or bid, will expand the ticketing area and baggage claim area, and update the parking and driving lanes.
At a Nov. 29 groundbreaking ceremony, Nelson said the airport expansion could increase regional economic activity by $1 billion annually.
The airport's most recent regional economic impact report, released in 2015, found that the airport generated $604 million in economic output that year.
Sophia Voigt covers local government and politics in the Fox Valley for The Post-Crescent. For feedback or story tips, contact svoight@postcrescent.com.
