Rogue Valley Times
Airport officials say connection will open new doors for business, tourism, and personal travel in Southern Oregon
Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport has received a $600,000 Small Community Air Service Development grant to help support new flights, via American Airlines, connecting Medford to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Airport Director Amber Judd said the funding would drive down fares and create improved tourism and travel opportunities for the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
Judd said Thursday that airport officials anticipate launching the new service in coming months.
Grant funding will be used to provide a revenue guarantee and to support plans to recruit, launch, and support new service between the two regions, airport officials said, opening new doors for business, tourism, and personal travel in our community.
A primary driver of high fares from the Medford airport is a lack of nonstop service to any hub east of Denver.
Average flight pricing from other major airports, to Orlando, for example, is $138, whereas the average for a flight between Medford and Orlando is $320. Average fares to New York, from other large cities, is $198 compared to an average of $353 from the Medford airport.
While airlines aren’t bound to initiative service simply due to an airport receiving a grant award, Judd said airport officials are “encouraged by American Airlines interest, and we are confident this funding underscores the strong demand and our community’s support for a direct MFR-DFW route.”
American Airlines officials wrote a letter of support during the grant application process in addition to regional tourism supports and large regional businesses including Travel Medford, Travel Oregon, Britt Festival, Dove Media Group and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
“We are optimistic that American Airlines will recognize the opportunity to enhance connectivity between our two regions,” Judd told the Rogue Valley Times Wednesday.
“We look forward to the potential for this valuable new service to benefit travelers and support local economic growth in the near future, and the Airport is committed to working with American Airlines to make this route a reality.”
U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, took to social media to announce the funding on Wednesday, which he said would “open new doors for business, tourism, and personal travel in our community,” and create “additional connection opportunities that aren’t served with one-stop connections today via Medford.”
U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats, issued a joint announcement Thursday.
“Making sure our regional airports have the support they need to keep Oregonians connected and moving is essential for the local economy,” Wyden said.
“I applaud this federal investment to Rogue Valley International Medford Airport and will continue to fight for more resources for airports and infrastructure upgrades across Oregon.”
Merkley said regional airports in Oregon “serve as vital hubs for our communities — supporting local businesses, connecting travelers to world-class recreational opportunities, and providing essential lifelines during natural disasters.”
“This federal funding will put Oregon’s Medford-Rogue Valley International Airport in a position to expand its service to Dallas-Ft. Worth and fill additional staffing needs for this new route, connecting Oregonians to more of the U.S.,” Merkley said in the written statement.
Total project cost to help create the new line of service, outlined in the grant application, is $1,250,000, with funding derived from the grant in addition to airport in-kind funds ($408,500 from landing fee waivers and $75,000 from marketing) and in-kind contributions from Dove Media Group and Travel Medford.
In a letter of support for the original grant application, US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said his agency was “fully prepared to work with our local stakeholders to meet the challenge in anticipation of the increase in passenger traffic resulting from the proposed new American Airlines service” to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including allocating additional TSA personnel, ensuring training and development and adequate additional security screening capacity.
In addition to the funding to expand air service, airport officials announced $6.41 million in federal grant funding earlier this year to extend an existing taxiway and build two new taxiways to reduce flight delays.
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