Dubuque Airport Announces the Return of Daily Flights to Chicago

Following a tease of a major announcement, the Dubuque Regional Airport has confirmed the return of daily commercial air service to the Tri-State area, which will take effect just in time for another busy holiday season.

The Dubuque Regional Airport announced today via press release, as well as a press conference at the airport, that flights to and from Chicago/O'Hare International Airport on a 50-seat regional jet will return beginning November 4th, 2024. Tickets are already available to be purchased.

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Denver Air Connection will be operating a daily flight between Dubuque (DBQ) and O'Hare (ORD), per the City of Dubuque's press release. Denver Air has interline ticketing and baggage transfer agreements with three major airlines, including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Airlines:

These agreements, offer passengers the ability to book, connect, and check bags through to those airlines’ destinations worldwide. With a single reservation, passengers will be able to travel, connect, and check their baggage through to their final destination - per the City of Dubuque's press release

Tickets can be purchased now directly through American, United, Delta, and Denver Air. Links to all those options are now available and easily accessible on the Dubuque Regional Airport's website.

Dubuque Mayor Brad Cavanagh made a statement signifying his excitement for the new agreement via the press release:

The return of daily flights to and from a major hub is cause for celebration. We are excited to welcome Denver Air Connection to the Dubuque Regional Airport, and I encourage all travelers, whether for leisure or business, to take advantage of the convenient connections across the country and around the world that this service will provide. - Dubuque Mayor Brad Cavanagh, per the City of Dubuque's press release

The flight will originate at O'Hare each day. The first leg will depart O'Hare around midday, and the flight from Dubuque to O'Hare will depart mid-afternoon. ERJ145 aircrafts will be utilized and will arrive at Concourse L at O'Hare.

Back in July, merely a little over a year after they announced expanded flights to Las Vegas, and roughly seven months after they paused flights to Orlando, Avelo Airlines informed the Regional Airport that Dubuque will not be included in their flight schedule for the remainder of 2024.

Avelo Airlines made a splash in Dubuque in 2023, offering cheap airfare to Orlando, FL from the Dubuque Regional Airport. This came after American Airlines ceased its service in Dubuque, leaving Tri-Staters with Cedar Rapids, Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago as some of the only reasonable options for air-travel.

Today's announcement of the Dubuque Airport's O'Hare connection comes after months of conversations with legacy and regional carriers, as well as a community air service survey which received responses from over 8,000 area residents and more than 200 Dubuque businesses. O'Hare was, by far, the preferred hub connection, per the City of Dubuque's press release.

Read more about this breaking development for the Dubuque Regional Airport on the City of Dubuque's website.