The intercom popped on at Redmond Airport on Monday.

“Good afternoon. I’d like to welcome you to the inaugural flight from Redmond to Dallas … We will begin boarding soon.”

At the sound of the announcement, 50 passengers shuffled in their seats as they prepared to board American Airlines flight AA530, the first flight from Redmond Airport to the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, where they could board 271 connecting flights at American Airlines’ busiest hub.

“I’ll have to keep my ticket,” said Angela Abernathy, who lives in La Pine.

Abernathy bought the ticket from Redmond to Dallas to visit her grandson. She had no idea she scheduled herself for the inaugural departure. All she knew was that she wanted to wait until a direct flight was available.

“One of the reasons why I waited so long (to visit) is because I thought, ‘Oh, I’m gonna have to go to Seattle or Portland, and those are big places,” Abernathy told The Bulletin.

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The new flight from Redmond to Dallas is the farthest east a direct flight from Redmond Airport can get you. It’s seasonal, operating only from May 6 through Oct. 6 using an Airbus A320 that can hold up to 150 passengers. Monday’s departing flight had only 50 people aboard, but the 11 a.m. flight from Dallas to Redmond carried 101 passengers.

“This seems like a very avid summer destination for folks with all the outdoor activities, so I think that’s one of the reasons we were able to provide that service,” said Deesha Desai, vice president of LAX Hub and Western Region for Envoy Air, which operates the flight for American Airlines.

The nonstop flight will depart from Redmond Airport daily at 1:16 p.m., arriving in Dallas at 6:57 p.m., Central time. Departures from Dallas to Redmond will leave at 10:15 a.m. Central and arrive at 12:31 p.m. in Redmond.

Bigger planes, more passengers

The fact that American Airlines established a flight to and from Redmond Airport using such a large aircraft is indicative of the growth the airport is experiencing, said Airport Director Zachary Bass.

“What we are seeing is airlines … changing from 76-seat regional jets to 150-seat mainlines,” Bass told The Bulletin in an interview about the airport’s growth. “In the last 10 years, we are up 165% in passengers. We’re almost two and a half times larger than we were. We’re going to put 1.3 million passengers through this terminal this year.”

In other words, the growth Bass is seeing at the Redmond Airport isn’t just because there are more direct flights like the one to Dallas, but rather because bigger planes are arriving with more passengers.

In 2016, more than 60% of the 4,543 aircraft arrivals at Redmond Airport were turboprop planes, which Bass explained typically hold around 50 passengers. Only 14 arrivals that year were mainline planes. In contrast, 2023 saw not just 3,106 more arrivals than 2016, but there were no turboprop plane arrivals, and mainline jets jumped from 3% to 37% of arrivals.

Boon for passengers

Larger flights to more destinations are great for passengers, even if the airport is experiencing what Bass called “growing pains.”

“I see it as a huge boon for our area because it’s just one easier step to get here,” said Kristan Collins, a self-described Texan choosing to live in Sisters, as she was boarding the plane. “I would do it regularly. It just provides so many more connections because it’s hard to go to Portland; it’s hard to go to Seattle. It’s wonderful for a lot of people.”

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As the rest of the passengers boarded the plane, everything was right on schedule. At 1 p.m. the plane pulled away from the gate and farther down the runway, two fire and rescue vehicles moved into place for a Redmond Airport tradition: the inaugural water cannon salute.

The wind ripped over the tarmac, making airport staff sway as they waited for the plane to move into position. As pilots directed the plane through the stream of the cannon, water sprayed over the plane and across the tarmac. Everyone cheered, and with that, the flight was off.

At exactly 1:17, the first flight from Redmond Airport to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport took off into the sky.