Traffic through Will Rogers World Airport has decreased due to the spread of COVID-19.
“It’s really diminished. We’re seeing virtually no traffic at all,” said Karen Carney, Marketing & Public Information Manager at the City of Oklahoma City Department of Airports. “The number of people who actually went through the checkpoint as of yesterday was down ninety-four percent. I think people have really gotten the message. It’s certainly having an impact on the operations here at the airport.”
Carney spoke via Zoom on Monday afternoon from the airport, watch the full interview above. Within the terminal building, food and beverage operations have been impacted, including by furloughs for personnel, with some providing a bare minimum for the few travelers. Two parking facilities have been closed. Busses are holding 15 minutes between runs to the airport from the rental car sites.
“TSA is enforcing social distancing,” Carney said. “If you are wearing a mask, they do have to ask you to pull down the mask to verify identity.”
For those who are essential travelers parking has changed at Will Rogers World Airport. Unlike during typical spring break surges, there were less than 100 cars in some lots which prompted the closing of some lots. Garage parking still exists.
Meanwhile the airlines have been operating on a day to day basis, operating on how many people are flying which has lead to cancellations.
“We’re seeing a 45% reduction in the number of flights,” said Carney of the flight schedules received from airlines into early May. “We’re seeing some of the nonstop markets being suspended, like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia. We’re hopeful that those will all come back, because we worked a long time to get those markets.”
The terminal expansion continues but other capital improvement projects have been put on hold.
“We are still advising travelers to only do essential travel,” Carney said. “We understand that sometimes there are family emergencies, but we really want people to be careful and not travel for the sake of traveling. If you do travel, we need you to follow all of the guidelines. We need you to social distance. It’s kind of easy to do right now because we’re not crowded anywhere. Be mindful of the other people around you.”
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