Rob Smith, Author at FareFlight NWA

competition

September 10, 2026

Online Votes Can Boost XNA as Best Small Airport

Northwest Arkansas National Airport has received another bit of national recognition, earning a nomination for USA Today’s 2026 10Best Readers’…

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XNA Airport

August 28, 2026

XNA’s Passenger Retention Hits 80%, Leakage Study Finds

Local residents are increasingly choosing to fly from Northwest Arkansas National Airport instead of more distant airports, a new study…

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Passengers Summer Travel

August 19, 2026

Summer Travel Surge Gives XNA Record Month Again

Heavy summertime traffic on American Airlines, combined with increased flying by low-cost carriers, helped Northwest Arkansas National Airport set a…

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New nonstop

July 16, 2026

United to Restart XNA-to-Newark Route

Newark fell off the Northwest Arkansas National Airport route map a few years ago, but United Airlines plans to restart…

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Passengers Summer Travel Uncategorized XNA Airport

July 14, 2026

Soaring Higher: XNA Sets New Passenger Record

A record number of passengers took to the skies from Northwest Arkansas National Airport in June, underscoring the region's continued…

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Passengers XNA Airport

July 9, 2026

XNA’s 10% Growth Moves it up to No. 95 in U.S.

Northwest Arkansas National Airport now ranks as the nation’s 95th largest commercial facility, new federal data shows. The preliminary 2025…

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Passengers XNA Airport

June 16, 2026

Busy XNA Boasts 5.9% Growth through May

Passengers kept Northwest Arkansas National Airport's terminal humming in May, helping the airport log the second-highest passenger count in its…

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Food for thought XNA Airport

June 10, 2026

Busy Walmart Week Drives Up XNA’s Numbers

Driven by the volume of people who traveled to the region for Walmart Associates Week, Northwest Arkansas National Airport came…

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XNA Airport

May 21, 2026

Federal Data Shows Strong Demand for New XNA Nonstop Routes

Federal data focused on travel from Northwest Arkansas National Airport shows just how much the availability of nonstop flights can…

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Summer Travel

May 19, 2026

XNA Continues Growth Trend Despite Airline Industry Pressures

Passenger demand remained strong at Northwest Arkansas National Airport despite growing cost-related challenges to airlines worldwide. XNA recorded 105,165 enplanements…

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XNA Airport

May 16, 2026

Company Aims to Speed XNA Travelers through Security

Northwest Arkansas National Airport this week announced a new program that should lead to travelers being able to move quickly…

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Passengers Summer Travel XNA Airport

April 16, 2026

XNA Clears 100K Passengers, Signals Strong Summer Travel Season

Spring-break travelers in March helped Northwest Arkansas National Airport rise above 100,000 passengers for the first time this year. The…

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New nonstop

April 14, 2026

Nonstop Flights Land for Arkansas-Tennessee Showdown

University of Tennessee fans will be able to fly nonstop to Fayetteville to see this year’s football game against the…

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XNA Airport

March 13, 2026

XNA offers new incentives to attract flights to San Francisco, 8 other cities

An enhanced program at Northwest Arkansas National Airport boosts the reward to airlines willing to start nonstop service to nine…

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Passengers XNA Airport

February 17, 2026

XNA’s Eight-Month Run of 100,000 Passengers Comes to an End

A late January spate of bad weather, coupled with the month’s usual downturn in travel, made it so Northwest Arkansas…

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XNA Airport

January 21, 2026

Delta Led Airlines’ New XNA Investments, Analysis Shows

The airlines serving Northwest Arkansas National Airport invested far more money into providing service last year than they did the…

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Passengers

January 16, 2026

More Airline Capacity Makes XNA’s Record Year Possible

Northwest Arkansas National Airport kept piling up big numbers in December, ending the year with a record-breaking 1,263,634 passengers. That…

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XNA Airport

December 29, 2025

XNA Gave Passengers Ample ‘Best of’ Upgrades in 2025

Year-end “best of” lists are not especially important, except for the fact that they require the reader to consider all…

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XNA Airport

December 17, 2025

XNA sets passenger record before year’s end

Passenger traffic at Northwest Arkansas National Airport has already surpassed last year’s total, marking another record-breaking year for the region’s…

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Weekend Getaway

November 21, 2025

‘Dead Zone’ Spins Out Terrific Fares from XNA

Air travel at the end of the year centers around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, but some of the best…

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Passengers

November 14, 2025

American and Delta Propel XNA to Record October

Northwest Arkansas National Airport rolled past 1 million passengers in record time, hitting the mark in October, new data shows.…

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XNA Airport

November 7, 2025

Northwest Arkansas Selected for 2026 Airline Conference

One of the nation’s leading airline recruitment conferences will be held in Northwest Arkansas next year. TakeOff North America will…

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Passengers

October 28, 2025

Study Shows XNA Retaining More Travelers vs. Tulsa, Other Airports

A growing number of travelers in the region are choosing to begin their trips from Northwest Arkansas National Airport over…

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airfare

October 21, 2025

XNA Travelers Saved $12.5 Million, Data Shows

Passengers flying out of Northwest Arkansas National Airport saved a combined $12.5 million on airfares in the second quarter of…

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Passengers

October 16, 2025

Delta’s Growth Helps Keep XNA Above 100,000

Northwest Arkansas National Airport scored its fifth consecutive month of seeing at least 100,000 passengers. The September total of 107,160…

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Passengers

October 8, 2025

Three Days Surge onto XNA’s Busiest List

Records kept by Northwest Arkansas National Airport show three of the airport’s eight busiest days have occurred in the past…

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Passengers

September 15, 2025

XNA Scores 4th Straight Month of 100,000 Passengers

New data from Northwest Arkansas National Airport provides insight into how many passengers can be anticipated by year’s end. The…

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New nonstop

September 11, 2025

Breeze Gets Started with XNA-to-Pensacola Route

Northwest Arkansas travelers last week gained a new way to get to the Sunshine State. That’s because Breeze Airways started…

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Summer Travel XNA Airport

August 20, 2025

Delta and Allegiant Break Records as XNA Posts Second-Busiest Month

Two airlines recorded their best monthly numbers ever at Northwest Arkansas National Airport, according to new data from the airport.…

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XNA Airport

August 12, 2025

XNA Retaining More Passengers, Report Shows

A higher percentage of local travelers are relying on Northwest Arkansas National Airport to begin their journeys, a new report…

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Passengers

July 22, 2025

XNA Beats its All-Time Best Yet Again

Northwest Arkansas National Airport reached a new milestone last month, setting an all-time record for passenger traffic. Airport officials announced…

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Weekend Getaway

June 30, 2025

Allegiant Leads Affordability List, but Best Option is American to Chicago

Everyone in Northwest Arkansas who intends to take a one- or two-week junket this summer is likely to have figured…

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Passengers

June 18, 2025

New XNA Record Almost Certain to Fall Again in June

With the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint seeing six of its 25 busiest days ever in May, it seemed inevitable that…

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Passengers

June 10, 2025

XNA Hits New High with 6,443 Through Security

Northwest Arkansas National Airport scored the busiest day in its history last week, thanks to the nation’s largest company. Driven…

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Passengers

May 20, 2025

Airlines, Region’s Growth Drive XNA’s Big Stats

Big passenger numbers just keep landing at Northwest Arkansas National Airport. New statistics shared this week by XNA administrators show…

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Passengers

May 14, 2025

More Travelers Sticking with XNA Flights, Report Shows

Fewer Northwest Arkansas travelers are relying on neighboring airports in other states to catch flights, an airport consultant’s report shows.…

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New destination

May 7, 2025

Pensacola Will Be XNA’s Next Route on Breeze

Breeze Airways is expanding its nonstop flights from Northwest Arkansas National Airport, creating competition for a low-cost carrier already flying…

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Passengers

April 18, 2025

Spring Break Helps XNA Top the 100K Mark Again

Northwest Arkansas National Airport surpassed 100,000 passengers in a month for just the sixth time in its history. The March…

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Passengers Uncategorized

March 20, 2025

Passengers Deliver Solid February Numbers at XNA

Northwest Arkansas National Airport scored another stellar month, seeing more than 76,000 passengers board flights in February. The new numbers,…

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Food for thought

February 27, 2025

Price Gap between XNA, Neighbor Airports Keeps Closing

Northwest Arkansas travelers used to save big bucks by driving to Tulsa to fly, but making the trip isn’t so…

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Passengers XNA Airport

February 21, 2025

XNA’s 2024 Surge Spilled Over into January, Records Show

Northwest Arkansas National Airport’s passenger surge from 2024 has spilled over into the new year. After seeing a record-setting 1.1…

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New nonstop

February 6, 2025

Delta’s Salt Lake Flight from XNA Starts Next Week

Salt Lake City is a major hub for Delta Air Lines and getting a nonstop flight going there from Northwest…

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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: Its 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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