United Airlines has lowered its everyday fares from Wichita to Chicago in order to align them with fares from Kansas City.
The number of passengers driving to Kansas City to fly to Chicago has increased since AirTran Airways dropped its Wichita-Chicago service in February 2003, said Wichita airport marketing coordinator Valerie Wise.
Traffic from Wichita to Chicago is down by more than 30,000 passengers a year, Wise said.
Most passengers driving to Kansas City to catch flights to Chicago are flying Southwest Airlines, she said.
Wise shared passenger and fare statistics with United and American Airlines. Both offer flights to Chicago from Wichita.
Wise asked the two airlines to lower fares to a level that would keep passengers from driving to Kansas City.
"United was responsive," Wise said.
The fare reductions are significant, she said, because persuading an airline to lower fares is nearly impossible.
The fare reductions are for United's nonpromotional tickets. The airline could still run sales with fares that are even lower, she said.
United lowered round-trip fares to Chicago bought 21 days in advance from $362 to $299. Tickets purchased seven days in advance were lowered to $399 from $628. Walk-up fares, meanwhile, have dropped from $892 to $644. (Fares are before taxes and fees.) And fares have dropped for tickets purchased three and 14 days in advance as well.
American has mostly matched United's fares from Wichita to Chicago, Wise said, although it so far has not matched United's three-day advance purchase and walk-up fares.
United will closely monitor the bookings in response to the fares, she said.
If passengers are responsive, there is a chance it will lower fares to other cities, Wise said. "We're keeping our fingers crossed."
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