Joplin airport could drop Chicago flights for Houston amid O’Hare problems

Joplin officials are considering replacing the city’s Chicago flights with service to Houston as congestion, construction and federal changes at O’Hare begin affecting local travelers.

The Joplin Regional Airport Board has recommended pursuing Houston service instead of Chicago. The proposal will next go to the Joplin City Council.

City Manager Nick Edwards said changes being made by the Federal Aviation Administration are reducing the number of flights O’Hare can handle.

“The FAA’s really prioritized safety and trying to reduce collisions and near misses,” Edwards said.

He said longer spacing between takeoffs and landings, combined with construction at O’Hare, is reducing flight capacity and forcing schedule changes for Joplin.

Beginning in December, Joplin’s flight to Chicago is expected to leave at 5 a.m. The return flight from Chicago to Joplin is scheduled to leave at 7:40 a.m.

Edwards said those times could make travel more difficult, particularly for passengers trying to make connecting flights.

“Changing the flight times can be really disruptive,” Edwards said. “It can impact connections and travel plans.”

That led Joplin’s air service consultant to recommend Houston as a possible replacement.

Jeremy Hagerman, assistant director of Public Works and Engineering, said officials were initially concerned travelers would lose a significant number of connecting options by leaving Chicago.

But he said information provided by the city’s consultant showed the difference may be smaller than expected.

“It is less, but not a significant portion,” Hagerman said.

Hagerman said Houston and Chicago serve many of the same destinations. Houston offers stronger connections to destinations farther south, including Florida and vacation markets, while Chicago offers some additional business connections in the eastern United States.

Houston still provides service to major cities including New York and Washington.

Joplin’s Denver service would not be affected.

“Denver is unchanged by this,” Hagerman said. “Denver is not even a consideration in this change.”

Joplin can recommend which destinations it wants, but the city does not control the federal air service contract. Edwards said the U.S. Department of Transportation ultimately makes that decision.

The larger air service contract for Joplin is also expected to be rebid in 2027, meaning the city’s destinations could change again.

“We could even have two other hubs or two different hubs,” Edwards said.

For now, travelers should begin seeing the new Chicago flight times in booking systems, with those schedule changes expected to take effect in December.