Rob Smith, Author at FareFlight NWA

Passengers

January 17, 2025

Record Year: XNA Tops 1.1 Million Passengers

Northwest Arkansas National Airport provided its final passenger number on Thursday, showing more than 1.1 million people boarded flights last…

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XNA Airport

December 30, 2024

Delta, American Lead Way on XNA’s ‘Best of 2024’ List

Here’s the thing about Northwest Arkansas National Airport: It’s passenger growth in the past two years coupled with its massive…

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Passengers

December 16, 2024

XNA Breaks Its Annual Best in 11 Months

Northwest Arkansas National Airport won’t know its total number of 2024 passengers until January, but it already knows this is…

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airfare New nonstop

December 11, 2024

Nonstop to Philadelphia: American Airlines Launches New XNA Flight

In just one week, Northwest Arkansas travelers will have another nonstop flight option at XNA. Philadelphia flights offered by American…

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New destination Summer Travel

November 20, 2024

Popular Driving Destination Becomes XNA Nonstop

Allegiant Air on Tuesday announced that it’ll start flights to a new destination from Northwest Arkansas National Airport. The new,…

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Passengers

November 19, 2024

Business Travel Pushes XNA to New Monthly High

For the third time in five months, Northwest Arkansas National Airport set a record for its single highest number of…

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New nonstop

November 7, 2024

XNA Travelers Must Prove Delta to Salt Lake was Wise Move

If you want to make a wintertime trip to just one of the Northwest Arkansas National Airport’s new nonstop destinations,…

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Passengers

October 11, 2024

American Leads the Way as XNA Tops 100K Yet Again

Big numbers just keep rolling in at Northwest Arkansas National Airport as it surpassed 100,000 passengers for the third time…

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Nashville

October 7, 2024

Tennessee Fans Helped Boost XNA to Record Day

Northwest Arkansas scored two nice wins over the weekend thanks to its friends from Tennessee. Everyone — yes, everyone —…

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Passengers

September 20, 2024

XNA Breaks Records with Nearly 100K Passengers in August

Northwest Arkansas National Airport remains on its torrid pace with an impressive number of passengers boarding flights last month. XNA…

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New destination

August 25, 2024

American Airlines Says Yes to XNA-Philadelphia

For the third time in a little more than a week, an airline is re-establishing a nonstop route at Northwest…

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Weekend Getaway

August 23, 2024

Football Flights Bringing Vols, LSU, Texas Fans to NWA

Fans wanting to attend University of Arkansas football games are among the biggest winners in Wednesday’s announcement by United Airlines.…

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Passengers Uncategorized

August 19, 2024

July Makes 3rd Straight Record-Breaker at XNA

Northwest Arkansas National Airport for the third time in a row recorded the best month in the airport's history. The…

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New Flights

August 17, 2024

New Flights! Delta Adds XNA to Detroit, Salt Lake

Northwest Arkansas National Airport will add new nonstop flights in the coming months, taking off to Detroit and Salt Lake…

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New Flights

August 13, 2024

American Adds Second Phoenix Flight from XNA

New nonstop destinations from Northwest Arkansas National Airport make headlines, but airlines often make less-talked-about improvements to current routes that…

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Weekend Getaway

July 16, 2024

Summertime Deals: XNA Getaways for Under $275

There’s often a conversation about the price of flying from Northwest Arkansas National Airport, but thousands of travelers are well-positioned…

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Passengers

July 12, 2024

June Becomes XNA’s First 100K Month

Poor old May held its spot as the Northwest Arkansas National Airport’s best month for just four weeks. Now, May…

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Passengers

June 25, 2024

Just 4 Bigger Airports Grew Faster than XNA, Data Shows

Northwest Arkansas National Airport ranked as the nation’s 102nd busiest airport last year, data from the U.S. Department of Transportation…

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Passengers

June 12, 2024

May Traffic at XNA Comes Thisclose to 100K

How many ways are there to say record-breaking? There’s best ever, most ever, peak and unprecedented scale. All-time best and…

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Passengers

June 10, 2024

Walmart Meetings Drive Record Days at XNA

With hundreds of Walmart celebration attendees headed home on Friday afternoon, everyone knew Northwest Arkansas National Airport was going to…

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Food for thought

June 4, 2024

70% Choose XNA, Provide Economic Benefit to Arkansas

Northwest Arkansas National Airport continues its pattern of being the airport of choice for 70% of its travelers who live…

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New Flights Weekend Getaway

May 17, 2024

Delta Announces Football Fan Flights to XNA

Delta Air Lines announced today that its gearing up with 56 nonstop flights to make travel easier for college football…

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Passengers

May 14, 2024

April was Gangbusters; Sets XNA up for Record Summer

The most stunning thing about the number of passengers who boarded flights at Northwest Arkansas National Airport last month isn’t…

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Passengers

April 11, 2024

XNA Sees Terrific March; Airlines Add to Summer Plans

Terrific passenger numbers at Northwest Arkansas National Airport are now so routine that it’s going to be big news when…

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Food for thought

March 20, 2024

Low-Cost Airlines Create Wins for XNA Biz Travelers

Low-cost carriers at Northwest Arkansas National Airport are providing value to businesses and business travelers that isn’t talked about much.…

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Passengers

March 13, 2024

It’s not 1M in Calendar Year, but it’s Impressive

If you tilt your head just right and squint a little, Northwest Arkansas National Airport is a 1 million passenger…

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XNA Airport

March 5, 2024

Wichita Company, XNA Weighing Hotel

A Wichita developer on Tuesday shared his vision for what a 90-room hotel focused on business travelers could include at…

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airfare

March 1, 2024

XNA’s Top Destinations Less Costly, Stats Show

The cost of flying to Northwest Arkansas National Airport’s top three destinations declined more than 10% in the most recent…

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Passengers

February 14, 2024

XNA Starts 2024 with Another Record-Breaking Month

Arkansas travelers apparently didn’t get the memo that January is supposed to be way less busy in the air travel…

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New nonstop Uncategorized

January 15, 2024

Delta to Restart its New York Nonstop in April

Delta Air Lines plans to restart its nonstop service from Northwest Arkansas National Airport to New York LaGuardia. That restart,…

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Passengers

January 12, 2024

XNA Officially Hits Passenger Record of 991,489

Northwest Arkansas National Airport didn’t get to 1 million passengers in 2023, but it came pretty darn close. XNA officials…

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Passengers XNA Airport

December 29, 2023

Bests of 2023 Bring Clear Benefits to XNA Travelers

Northwest Arkansas National Airport didn’t have many big air-service wins in 2023, but it scored a ton of small victories…

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Passengers

December 21, 2023

XNA Broke Passenger Record – it’s Unofficial for Now

The number of people who boarded flights departing from Northwest Arkansas National Airport is up to 912,379 through the year’s…

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competition

December 12, 2023

XNA Plans Focused Pursuit of Southwest

Nothing stirs up a conversation on Northwest Arkansas National Airport social media accounts quite like someone mentioning Southwest Airlines. The…

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Passengers XNA Airport

December 5, 2023

Authority Picks Escape Lounges as XNA Partner

Northwest Arkansas National Airport is now on its way to becoming the nation’s smallest airport with a branded lounge. The…

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Passengers Uncategorized XNA Airport

November 15, 2023

Terrific October, but Math Suggests XNA Won’t Reach 1 Million

October is almost always a big month at Northwest Arkansas National Airport, but it’s never been this good. The airport…

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XNA Airport

October 31, 2023

25 Years of XNA Marked by Near-Constant Changes

One constant at Northwest Arkansas National Airport is its ever-changing nature. The increasing passengers, new flights, runway repairs, a parking…

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airfare

October 27, 2023

‘Dead Zone’ Makes for Affordable XNA Getaway

Finding the right place to go for the right amount of money always matters. There’s no better time to price…

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Passengers XNA Airport

October 14, 2023

7 Straight Record Months Sets Stage for Record Year

September was the Northwest Arkansas National Airport’s seventh consecutive month of record-breaking traffic. Data provided by the airport Friday shows…

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airfare Florida XNA Airport

October 11, 2023

Fares to Tampa Fell 60% at XNA, Data Shows

Flying to Chicago, Denver and Tampa/St. Petersburg was far less expensive in this year’s second quarter compared to the same…

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Passengers

September 14, 2023

XNA Remains on its Way to Best Year

Northwest Arkansas National Airport’s superb passenger numbers month after month suggest 2023 is almost certain to be the airport’s best…

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airfare

August 20, 2023

XNA to Chicago for $168? Savannah for $237? Yes, Really

Price-savvy travelers departing from Northwest Arkansas National Airport almost always lean hard on its low-cost carriers. They won’t be required…

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Passengers

August 18, 2023

Terrific July Numbers Keep XNA on Record Pace

Northwest Arkansas National Airport followed the best month ever with its second-best month in its nearly 25 years. Boosted by…

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airfare

July 26, 2023

XNA Fare Averaged $470, Low-Cost Options Below $125

Passengers flying from Northwest Arkansas National Airport paid 5% less for flights than they did a year before the COVID-19…

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Weekend Getaway

July 17, 2023

Airlines Selling Hog-Focused Nonstops at XNA

Airlines serving Northwest Arkansas National Airport have added nonstop junkets to their schedules to serve football-crazy fans. The number of…

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Passengers

July 14, 2023

Passengers Boost XNA to Record 97K

The best month in the history of Northwest Arkansas National Airport was its most recent one, pulling in more than…

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Passengers XNA Airport

June 27, 2023

XNA’s Growth was more than Pandemic Bounce-Back

Most airports saw huge increases in their number of passengers last year, but not many in the middle of the…

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Passengers Summer Travel XNA Airport

June 13, 2023

Crush of May Passengers Filled Up Flights, Records Show

The number of passengers boarding flights at Northwest Arkansas National Airport led to the third biggest month in its history.…

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Passengers Summer Travel Uncategorized

June 7, 2023

Surge of Walmart Attendees Fuels XNA’s Busiest Days

Three of Northwest Arkansas National Airport’s four busiest days have occurred since Friday. Boosted by the swell of out-of-towners headed…

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Summer Travel

May 19, 2023

Low-Cost Airlines Beef Up Summer Offerings from XNA

The low-cost airlines serving Northwest Arkansas National Airport will step up how often they fly from the region this summer,…

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Passengers Summer Travel XNA Airport

May 17, 2023

XNA’s Best April Follows its Best March

Northwest Arkansas National Airport only a decade ago didn’t have a single month where it topped 60,000 outbound passengers. Now…

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airfare competition Denver Florida Nashville XNA Airport

April 24, 2023

Average XNA Flight Topped $500, but Low-Cost Options Way Less

Three low-cost carriers at Northwest Arkansas National Airport charge about one-third as much as their larger competitors, new federal data…

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Passengers XNA Airport

April 17, 2023

Travelers at XNA Set Record for March Trips

If Northwest Arkansas National Airport felt way busier than you’d expected it to be for your spring break trip, your…

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airfare destin Florida Nashville XNA Airport

March 27, 2023

There’s Always a Need to Plan the Next Adventure from XNA

Your spring break trip was great and all, but it’s over and it’s time to plan the next junket from…

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Passengers XNA Airport

March 14, 2023

February’s Solid Stats Bode Well for Big March

Northwest Arkansas National Airport saw 63,658 passengers board flights in February, officials reported March 13. It was an especially busy…

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airfare XNA Airport

March 7, 2023

Phooey on Spring Break; Go Later for Less than $100

Travelers are going to pack the planes at Northwest Arkansas National Airport during spring break week, but some of Arkansans’…

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Summer Travel XNA Airport

March 2, 2023

Breeze Beefing Up Orlando as it Prepares to Pause Phoenix

Breeze Airways in May makes two big shifts in its flying from Northwest Arkansas National Airport. The good news is…

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New destination New Flights

February 24, 2023

BreezeThru to Charleston starts March 3

Federal statistics show there’s high demand for flights from Northwest Arkansas National Airport to New York, Chicago and a whole…

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Passengers

February 16, 2023

XNA starts 2023 with impressive 62K passengers

Northwest Arkansas National Airport followed its second-best year with the second-best January, starting 2023 on a high note. XNA saw…

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New nonstop

February 14, 2023

Breeze ‘Valley of the Sun’ Trip to Start

Breeze Airways on Friday begins its first nonstop flight from Northwest Arkansas National Airport to Phoenix. The expanding, low-cost carrier…

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New Flights

February 1, 2023

Daily Flights to Phoenix Start Friday

The airlines serving Northwest Arkansas National Airport haven’t provided daily flights to a new nonstop destination in over three years.…

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airfare

January 25, 2023

Long layover flights can mean huge savings

Many travelers prefer nonstop flights because they save so much time compared to flights with a connection. Others favor nonstops…

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airfare

January 20, 2023

Higher fares? Yes, but many XNA options beat the average

The average cost of a domestic flight from Northwest Arkansas National Airport was up, but how much passengers spent depended…

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Passengers

January 18, 2023

XNA Can Officially Call 2022 its Second-Best Year

The numbers are in, and Northwest Arkansas National Airport can chalk up 2022 as its second-best year. The airport served…

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XNA Airport

December 28, 2022

New Route Provides 2022’s Best Success at XNA

It wasn’t all that long ago that FareFlightNWA easily selected 10 best successes at Northwest Arkansas National Airport in a…

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Food for thought Passengers Uncategorized

December 15, 2022

Year 2022 Almost Certain to End up as XNA’s Second-Best

New statistics just about guarantee that 2022 will go down as the second-busiest year at Northwest Arkansas National Airport. The…

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XNA Airport

December 14, 2022

Crystal Bridges, XNA Working to Bring Art to Terminal

Northwest Arkansas National Airport is exploring the possibility of a small art gallery in the terminal. After gaining the Regional…

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Weekend Getaway

December 13, 2022

Airfares are Up, but Savvy Shoppers Can Find Great Deals

Reports of higher airfares aren't the most encouraging circumstances for people in Northwest Arkansas who are starting to think about…

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Passengers XNA Airport

November 15, 2022

XNA Puts up Solid October Passenger Numbers

Fall’s best month in terms of passengers didn’t disappoint at Northwest Arkansas National Airport. Data made public today by airport…

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airfare Denver Florida Weekend Getaway XNA Airport

November 2, 2022

Airlines at XNA Offer Great Fares in Travel ‘Dead Zone’

Northwest Arkansas residents are fast approaching two so-called dead zones that allow them to find the least expensive airfares from…

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airfare XNA Airport

October 31, 2022

Biz Travel Way Up in Q2, Data Suggests

New federal data shows just how much the Arkansas airport, built with business travelers in mind, is looking like its…

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New Flights XNA Airport

October 27, 2022

No One Had 3 XNA-to-Phoenix Airlines on their Bingo Card

Northwest Arkansas National Airport took two big steps in the past week that provide travelers with better options to the…

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competition New nonstop

October 24, 2022

American Adds Phoenix Just Days after Breeze

The king of the hill at Northwest Arkansas National Airport wasn’t about to let another airline fly into one of…

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New Flights Uncategorized

October 19, 2022

Phoenix, Orlando Added at XNA; BreezeThru to Charleston

Breeze Airways on Wednesday announced it would add service at Northwest Arkansas National Airport, creating new ways to get to…

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Passengers

October 13, 2022

Northwest Arkansas Airport Posts its Second-Best September

With school back in session and fall business travel not ramped up, September is rarely a big month at U.S.…

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New Flights New nonstop XNA Airport

October 5, 2022

New Flights Going West Make Most Sense for XNA

Few like-sized airports in middle America can match the impressive collection of nonstop destinations available from Northwest Arkansas National Airport.…

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Passengers Summer Travel

September 22, 2022

XNA Sees 70K Passengers as Summer Winds Down

Northwest Arkansas National Airport last month saw 70,444 passengers board flights, information shared by the airport this week shows. It…

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airfare competition Passengers XNA Airport

August 31, 2022

Analysis: XNA Travelers Paid $17.8M Less in First Quarter

Passengers departing Northwest Arkansas National Airport saved $17.8 million in this year's first quarter compared to if they had made…

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Passengers

August 17, 2022

Passengers Fill 86% of Seats at XNA, Report Shows

Allegiant Air for the second consecutive month put more passengers on planes at Northwest Arkansas National Airport than it ever…

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XNA Airport

August 10, 2022

$500K Grant Focuses on XNA-San Francisco Route

A federal grant increases the possibility that Northwest Arkansas National Airport will be able to re-establish air service to San…

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competition XNA Airport

August 5, 2022

Frontier’s XNA-Las Vegas Flights End in November

Northwest Arkansas National Airport will see a series of air service changes in the last half of this year, including…

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Passengers

July 28, 2022

XNA Seeing More Biz Trips, but Leisure Destinations Rising Faster

Planes flying from Northwest Arkansas National Airport are carrying more people to places recognized for their business importance, but trips…

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airfare

July 20, 2022

XNA’s Fare Climbs to $405, but Skilled Shoppers Can Beat that Average

Travelers flying from Northwest Arkansas National Airport saw the average cost of a domestic trip increase 3.8%, new data shows.…

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Passengers

July 19, 2022

XNA Sees Decline as Allegiant Puts Up Big Increase

Despite Allegiant Air's record-breaking June at Northwest Arkansas National Airport, the airport's overall number of passengers decreased when compared to…

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Summer Travel

July 12, 2022

Time is Now to Figure Out End-of-Summer Trip

Planning end-of-summer trips can be the toughest to navigate, and there's real complexity to figuring out what works. Some families…

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Summer Travel

June 29, 2022

Steps to Avoid this Weekend’s Travel Havoc

The frequent fliers who depart from Northwest Arkansas National Airport know how to navigate flight delays and cancellations with expert…

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Rental Cars XNA Airport

June 17, 2022

Rental Cars Suggest Quickening Pace of Travel to NWA

Rental car companies at Northwest Arkansas National Airport more than doubled their number of customers in the first five months…

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Passengers Summer Travel XNA Airport

June 10, 2022

XNA Puts up Biggest Travel Number since 2019

Northwest Arkansas National Airport remains a few steps behind the record-breaking travel it experienced in 2019, but its passenger numbers…

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Passengers

May 12, 2022

April’s XNA Stats Hint at Strong Summer Ahead

Northwest Arkansas National Airport saw 67,401 passengers last month, an early indication that leisure travel should be strong this summer.…

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XNA Airport

May 12, 2022

Challenges Have Low-Cost Airlines Pulling Back at XNA

A surge in the competition for leisure travelers' attention worked to Northwest Arkansas' advantage for a year. Now, high fuel…

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Summer Travel

May 5, 2022

Airfares are Higher, but XNA Deals Remain

Northwest Arkansas residents will have to work harder than usual to find great airfares as a pilot shortage, high fuel…

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airfare

April 20, 2022

XNA’s Travelers to 10 Leisure Cities Saved $8.1 Million

Passengers headed from Northwest Arkansas National Airport to its top leisure destinations saved about $158 per roundtrip compared to if…

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Passengers

April 18, 2022

Return of Spring Break Trips Pushes XNA Travel Way Up

Airlines serving Northwest Arkansas National Airport should expect a big summer travel season if March is any indication of what's…

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airfare

April 14, 2022

Cost of Flying from XNA Barely Changed in 2021, Data Shows

Northwest Arkansas National Airport passengers saw the cost of flying stay about the same in 2021 as compared to a…

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airfare

April 8, 2022

Don’t Let High Airfare Stories Scare You Away

Attention, airfare shoppers. Never let a news story about domestic airfares being 40% more expensive than just a few weeks…

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Passengers

March 15, 2022

As Winter Fades, Travel Sure to Pick Up at XNA

Northwest Arkansas National Airport is about two-thirds of the way back to what could be viewed as its normal amount…

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Summer Travel

March 5, 2022

Family Trip in June? These are Top Options from XNA

It's still possible to plan a spring-break getaway from Northwest Arkansas National Airport, but it's a good bet that most…

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XNA Airport

February 23, 2022

XNA Leadership Pursuing On-Site Hotel

Northwest Arkansas National Airport could host a hotel on site for the first time under several possible plans discussed by…

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XNA Airport

February 16, 2022

Airport CEO Predicts More Reliance on Low-Cost Carriers

Low-cost carriers will play an increasingly important role at Northwest Arkansas National Airport as leisure travel becomes more prominent, the…

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Passengers

February 16, 2022

XNA Sees 48K Passengers as Year’s Start is a Dud

The weeks after the Christmas holiday almost always prove challenging at Northwest Arkansas National Airport, and this year was no…

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