Dubuque Regional Airport Announces New Flight Options Coming Soon

The Dubuque Regional Airport made a big announcement last week regarding expanded flight options for those looking to travel. The news comes just a few months after the airport struck a deal with Denver Air Connection (DAC) to offer flights between Dubuque and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

The news was revealed via a press release from the City of Dubuque following an air service forum hosted by the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce last Friday, February 28th.

Starting sometime soon, morning departure times for travelers will soon be an option via the Denver Air Connection at the Dubuque Regional Airport. Currently, the only option for air travel in Dubuque is an afternoon flight to O'Hare, where passengers often hop on a connecting flight to other parts of the country/world.

Dubuque Mayor Brad Cavanagh was quoted from the event in the aforementioned press release:

Since we restarted daily flights to O'Hare three months ago, we have consistently heard requests from business and leisure travelers asking for a morning flight. I couldn't be more excited and thankful that Denver Air Connection is responding to these requests so quickly to make daily air service even more convenient from our Dubuque Regional Airport - Dubuque Mayor Brad Cavanagh, per a press release from the City of Dubuque

Additional details regarding the flight schedule are still being planned and finalized at this time, but more options appear to be on the horizon for Dubuquers looking to travel. After American Airlines pulled out of the Dubuque Regional Airport in 2022, Avelo Airlines briefly offered cost-effective flights before they too pulled out. That left the airport without any air service provider for sometime before Denver Air Connection came into play last year.

Since they've arrived in Dubuque, Denver Air Connection represented a return to daily commercial air service for the Dubuque Regional Airport. Mayor Brad Cavanagh called daily air service "a fight worth fighting:"

This is a fight worth fighting. If we want our community to merely stay the same, or even shrink, then we don’t need flights. But if we want our economy to grow and our community to improve, we need flights at our airport. Here is the very good news. Our fate is in our hands. If we fly out of our airport, we can keep the flights we have and increase the number of flights we get - Dubuque Regional Airport - Dubuque Mayor Brad Cavanagh, per a press release from the City of Dubuque

Tickets for flights out of Dubuque can be purchased directly through American, United, and DAC. According to the aforementioned press release, base fares for flights between Dubuque and Chicago were recently reduced to $69 one-way.

It was also noted that while business travel has been slower to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic than leisure travel. Moreover, among airports that have lost service since 2020, Dubuque has recovered a larger share of flight capacity at a faster clip than other, similarly sized and structured airports around the country.

Read more about the incoming expansion of more flight options via the Dubuque Regional Airport on the City of Dubuque's website.