Tulsa based airline to offer flights to and from Austin, Texas

<br>TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Great Plains Airlines announced plans Wednesday to begin nonstop routes to Austin, Texas. <br><br>The nonstop service will begin March 11th to and from Tulsa, Albuquerque, N.M.,

Wednesday, January 8th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Great Plains Airlines announced plans Wednesday to begin nonstop routes to Austin, Texas.

The nonstop service will begin March 11th to and from Tulsa, Albuquerque, N.M., and Colorado Springs, Colo. The Tulsa-based airline will add service between Austin and Oklahoma City on March 18.

``For too long, people traveling between Austin and one of our other cities have had to endure the delays and hassles of changing planes at hub airports,'' said Jack Knight, Great Plains CEO.

``Our strategy is to bypass the hubs and offer nonstop and direct service to under-served markets. That's the model we've been using in other markets, and thus far it has been met with great enthusiasm from travelers.''

Great Plains, which began operations in April 2001, also serves Nashville, Tenn., with nonstop flights to and from Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

The airline flies 32-passenger Fairchild Dornier 328 regional jets and plans to add four more jets to its fleet by mid-February.