Will Rogers Airport faces flight cutbacks

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- High fuel prices are affecting many major airports across the country including Will Rogers World Airport.

Starting this month, seven airlines are cutting the number of flights or canceling all their services out of Oklahoma City.

ExpressJet, Continental and U.S. Airways are doing away with all of their flights to major cities from Sacramento to San Diego and Phoenix to Las Vegas.

"Now we don't lose those destinations because other carriers also serve those cities," Director of Will Rogers World Airport Mark Kranenburg said.

If you start booking your tickets now, you will notice there are fewer flights flying directly into major cities.

Fewer flights also means fewer seats.

"All in all it represents about a 13 percent reduction of the daily flights that we have that operate Monday through Friday and coincidentally there will also be a 13 percent reduction in available seats that are on all airlines on a daily basis," Kranenburg said.

Robert Scoles, a business travel manager, said travelers are booking tickets in time for the holiday season and even next spring break.

"If you pick early, you're going to get a better selection of what you want rather than have to cut your trip short and go at off hours," said Scoles.

Airlines could start charging $7 for a pillow and blanket, $3 for a bottle of water, and they're already charging between $25 and $50 for extra baggage.

Experts can't stress enough how important it is to buy now so you'll have a much higher chance of getting the flight you want. Buying early could even save you a few hundred dollars.