On April 7, the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce hosted the 53rd Annual Honors Night. This special evening recognizes three kinds of achievement: individual, corporate and architectural. Each honor is bestowed in recognition of a unique contribution to the enhancement of our community.

The recipient of the Ad Astra award was Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport. Created in 2001, the Ad Astra Award honors outstanding achievements in the community that are worthy and deserving of recognition, but which aren't necessarily aligned with any of the awards already established. This is only the third time the award was given, following Exploration Place in 2001 and INTRUST Bank Arena in 2011.

A complete list of all the Honor's Night winners can be found here. 

Wichita's Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport has received a top-5 national ranking for customer satisfaction, according a company that surveys travelers' real time through a mobile app on their cellphones.

Eisenhower National Airport ranked fourth nationally among small hub airports, according to Phoenix Marketing International, which surveyed 170,000 travelers between November 2015 and February 2016.

Customer satisfaction levels were based on a seven-point scale with seven being "very satisfied." According to the survey, Eisenhower had an overall customer satisfaction rating of 89 percent in several categories which are detailed in the news release we issued.  The full report can be found here.

I should also note that Eisenhower Airport has seen some recent service improvements to be excited about: On April 12, Southwest Airlines began nonstop service to St. Louis and Phoenix.  These are two new, daily non-st op destinations, along with the continuation of Las Vegas, and will give travelers great connections to many of our top destinations and keep fares competitive.  

Southwest brings much needed competition to our market which keeps fares to many cities affordable.  Having Southwest in our market stimulates passenger traffic on all of our airlines.  As demand from our airport grows, it helps us keep our costs to the airlines low which leads to enhanced air service.  Affordable fares have been proven to be key to economic development.  As companies consider new locations to set up operations, a city's air service is a key factor in their decision.  Affordable fares are important to reducing a company's cost of doing business.  Having affordable air service to a large number of cities is also important to our ability to attract conventions which provide a huge economic impact to our city. 

Southwest consistently ranks high in customer satisfaction, they do not charge change fees, nor do they charge for two checked bags which can add up to $200/roundtrip.  If Southwest is successful in Wichita, they will grow here.

We continue to be so proud of our new terminal, and are thrilled that our customers feel the same way we do!