Great Plains adds flights to Oklahoma City, Albuquerque

<br>TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Just weeks after its first commercial flight, Great Plains Airlines has announced expanded service to Oklahoma City and Albuquerque. <br><br>The Tulsa-based start-up will add three

Wednesday, April 25th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Just weeks after its first commercial flight, Great Plains Airlines has announced expanded service to Oklahoma City and Albuquerque.

The Tulsa-based start-up will add three daily round-trip flights to the two cities beginning May 25. The new service will bypass hub airports with direct flights on 32-passenger Fairchild-Dornier 328 regional jets, airline officials said Tuesday.

``How long has it been since any of the major airlines served these cities on a non-stop basis?'' Great Plains chief executive Jim Swartz said. ``It's time to change airlines, not planes. New Mexico in general, and Santa Fe in particular, are among the most popular tourist destinations in the United States.''

Great Plains began offering three daily round trips to Nashville on April 6. Company officials hope to begin direct service to Washington, D.C., New York and Los Angeles later this year.

The new flights to Oklahoma City and Albuquerque will leave Tulsa at 6:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.