Owensboro’s airport will offer daily, round-trip jet service directly to Chicago starting August 1 — replacing the current flights to St. Louis and Nashville. The new service through Contour Airlines includes a bigger aircraft and a more comfortable ride to a much larger airport, though passengers should also be aware it all comes with a bigger price tag. It will also be the only public flight in and out of Owensboro until the airport can find a replacement for Allegiant Air, which recently ended its service to and from Orlando.
On Tuesday, Contour and Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport (OWB) officials announced the flights between OWB and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) would begin August 1.
Contour CEO Matt Chaifetz said Contour will offer 12 weekly round trips between OWB and ORD.
According to flights that can already be booked on the Contour website here, the weekly flight schedule will be as follows:
- Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday:
- Departures from OWB at 9:55 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Departures from ORD at 1:50 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.
- Wednesday
- Departures from OWB at 5 p.m.
- Departures from ORD at 8:45 p.m.
- Saturday
- Departures from OWB at 9:55 a.m.
- Departures from ORD at 1:50 p.m.
The flight time is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes each way. Chaifetz said Contour is one of the most punctual airlines in the country, stating last month they had an on-time performance rate of almost 90%, “which places us at the top of the pack.”
Contour will offer service via a 30-passenger Embraer 135 Regional Jet. Chaifetz said it was originally built to hold 37 passengers, but Contour removed a couple of rows of seats and re-spaced so that every row has 36 inches of seat pitch.
He said other perks include flight attendant service, a lavatory, complimentary snacks and beverages, as well as the first checked bag being free.
“We’re really thrilled to introduce this level of service to Owensboro,” he said. “We know that the community is going to enjoy it. And I think once you all step foot on to our airplanes, you’ll enjoy the aircraft just as much.”
Passengers should take note that prices are more than doubling from the price of Cape Air flights.
While Cape Air offered tickets starting at $39 each way, Contour’s flights will start at $88 each way. Chaifetz said that is an “introductory fare” for tickets that are booked by June 19. OWB Airport Director Tristan Durbin said those prices will gradually go up to $99.
Chaifetz also noted that Contour is an American Airlines interline partner. That means passengers don’t have to re-check bags if they connect from a Contour to an American flight. Travelers also have the ability to ticket seamlessly from their originating airport and through a connecting hub to global destinations.
“We are the only airport in the region that’s going to be offering Chicago service, and we think that’ll really help to cement Owensboro’s place as an airport of choice in the region,” Chaifetz said.
Daviess County Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen and Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson briefly spoke, each saying the new service will help with economic development due to connection to O’Hare.
Changes to the daily flights are a result of a new Essential Air Service (EAS) provider for Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport (OWB). Cape Air is currently the EAS provider, and their contract was originally set to expire at the end of 2023. In late 2022 they filed a motion to terminate their service early.
In January, the OWB board approved recommending Contour as the new EAS provider. The original recommendation was for Contour to offer daily flights to Charlotte. However, Contour and OWB officials later decided to switch the destination to Chicago O’Hare.
The daily EAS service isn’t the only change to the OWB flight schedule of late. In March, Allegiant Air announced it was discontinuing flights to and from OWB after more than 14 years of service.
Allegiant offered round-trip flights twice per week between OWB to Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB). Their last flight to and from OWB was on May 29.
Allegiant continues to offer round-trip flights to SFB from Evansville Regional Airport (EVV) on Sundays and Thursdays. Allegiant also recently announced they were bringing back round-trip flights to Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) for the summer. Flights to Destin are available on Mondays and Fridays, with tickets starting as low as $39.
Durbin said the OWB board is still in the process of finding a new airline service to replace Allegiant.
