Just finishing my summer internship with Sun Country!! Hope you enjoyed Minneapolis’s quirky little hometown airline :) we are kind of a low cost hybrid airline but Branson is a typical airport we serve. Instead of flying constant schedules like pretty much every other us major airline does, we fly seasonal routes and ground a good chunk of our fleet on the slower days of the week and slower times of the year. We’re able to pull it off w/ our large sized Amazon Air contract and our charter operations keeping the airline afloat during the off periods. We are a very unique airline and are one of the only LCC’s not struggling right now in the US, don’t be surprised if you start hearing Sun Countries name a lot more in the next couple of years 😄
It used to be a full service airline. I live in Minneapolis and remember when their meal service was a cheeseburger 🍔! They were popular for charter flights to seasonal destinations, then got into trouble by overspending and became bankrupt. They’ve rebounded, and I’m glad to hear they’re doing well. They provide competition to Delta, the other airline that makes MSP airport one of its domestic hubs.
My theory for why Branson was the least used airport is because the type of people who go to Branson are the type of people who would rather drive 16 hours than fly.
Kansas City’s back yard. Faster to drive than fly. . . And cheaper. Same for St.Louis, Little Rock, Tulsa/OKC, etc. It’s easy for a quick weekend getaway. But it is on “The Strip” where you see the parking lot of cars that converge on the place. You learn to “drive like a local” as one can be sitting forever finding a hole to merge into traffic.
Haha I am not surprised that the Branson airport is the least used. I am from Springfield and we flew out of there one time. I swear we were the only flight of the day. Literally every worker on the tarmac was waving at us as we were leaving because we were the only flight lol. I loved this airport!!
Great video. When I traveled to Germany, England, Italy, Greece, France and Lybia in 1966 I thought someday I will be able to simply sit on my couch and watch somebody travel to all of these amazing places on RU-vid. How did I know.
In case anyone is curious, the reason this airport receives so few passengers is because it is not the main airport in the metro area. Most travelers aiming to visit the region fly into Springfield, and airport 40 miles from Branson. It has year-round service from most major carriers in the United States. Branson is the smaller of the two airports, which is why it receives less traffic. It is sort of like Prestwick airport in Glasgow.
thats part of it. but they wanted to charge insane gate fee's SWA and few other tried to make it work but couldnt fill seats to make the gate fees worth it.
@@Turd_Furgeson South West tried to make it work seasonal again the airport was charging the airlines CRAZY gate fees so all the airlines just screw it other then Sun Country
Best time to hear that, while still on the ground 3:00 LOL. 8:23 Southwest flew into Branson some time ago. They famously landed on that runway at Taney county by mistaking it for Branson. The loaded 737 stopped with a few feet to spare. Obviously can only leave that runway empty at Taney County.
That looks like Taney county he flew over on approach. There’s a big cliff drop off on the east side, or top view in the video, to the highway below. Good thing Southwest stopped the plane in time.
It may be apocryphal, but supposedly after landing, either the captain or co-pilot said something to the effect of, "Welp, guess I'm retired now." The first officer did, in fact, retire after that incident.
Made me laugh when I heard Terrain Terrain, pull up as you entered the plane. Just confirming that you're still on the ground. I presume it was a pre flight check
To answer your questions: Branson has a ton of visitors. I lived there for 5 years. In August the town shuts down for 2 weeks. This is when school starts usually. Then in September Tour busses come in the Fall. Christmas shows and Silver Dollar City lights starts in November. But by January and February the town shuts down almost completely. Usually by Spring Break in schools does it start back with tourists. It is so nice in the winter driving without all the traffic. Also flying out of Springfield is so much easier.
I'm one of those who come by charter bus. 4 hour drive. Hit Branson, Ozark, MO *(south of Sptringfield - Lambert's Cafe - Home of the Throwed Rolls) and a cheese factory on the way home. No driving and all the fun.
Noel, you missed the Strip where all the theaters are. You'll have to go back. The airport there is quite the debacle unfortunately. It was built and opened by a group of investors and Springfield upped their game and kept them from ever becoming what they intended. When it opened it was the only privately owned airports that had commercial airline service.
Not only that, they told all the airlines that flew in, that the shenanigans of one-upsmanship they did at other airports would NOT be tolerated. SGF on other hand didn't mind. Also Branson's airport seems to be built on a mesa in somewhat mountainous terrain. Which limits expansion. SGF, isn't.
I was happy to see you went to Branson. I’ve been visiting for decades. My wife’s mother lives there. Owned a hotel and sold now. We go 3-4 times a year. Next time go to Silver Dollar City. It is like Disney in the old time. My kids refer as Branson as home as I traveled and moved around the world but we always took vacation in Branson. Now I/we live in Hawaii and kids live around the country, we still wind up there for vacation. Aloha
With Branson being centrally located in the Midwest, many people make it a road trip destination. Branson has really transformed into a family destination in the past decade or so with shopping and attractions. There are also a number of shows that appeal to the younger crowd as well. The lakes bring recreational opportunities for all ages also.
Hey Noel! Thanks for doing this video and spending some time in Branson. I so appreciate you highlighting a major issue with tourism in town: mass public access to Branson itself. I’m not a resident, but I am involved in an organization and museum in town. Our mission is to preserve Branson’s rich history of live entertainment, and to keep people coming in to be entertained. The Branson (BKG) airport is a soap opera all its own. As you talked about, major carriers would spend a season there and then jump ship. It never made sense to us, as it's the closest airport to town. It should be built up and managed properly to become a major tourist transport hub. Maybe now with the new Thunder Ridge arena attracting Rolling Stones, Chris Stapleton, and more, BKG will look more attractive to investors. Springfield-Branson (SGF) is not a short drive from Branson. It’s about 90 minutes. There’s no public transportation from SGF into Branson, and an Uber or taxi ride will run you more than $100. The very fact that this was a “last flight in” to BKG and it’s not nearly the middle of August yet is a part of this public access problem. Branson’s tourism season goes full-steam through Christmas. This includes massive crowds brought in by the festivities at Dollywood’s sister property, Silver Dollar City. The shows and attractions generally close from January until March. My organization and I are advocates for improving these conditions, and I hope your genuine bewilderment helps us make our point. Thank you again for this video!
Between Bronson, MO and "Old Man Yells at Cloud" and the XFL 1.0 MVP sweeping up hair clippings and Scrabbleship, a classic Simpsons episode full of memes!
I love Sun Country. I used to use them all the time from MIA to MSP. They are budget friendly but, their hospitality and planes were always 10x better then the competition
Noel, What you should say is the least used commercial passenger airport in America. Branson was always the mostly country music, entertainers from years past. Even Wayne Newton and Tony Orlando had a theatre. Very seasonal with lots of bus tours and always "we salute our veterans" before every show.
My favorite part of flying is the take off....their is something magical about hearing the jets rev up and the plane starts to move faster and faster and then suddenly...you're flying..love it
I was once on a flight from Chicago to Springfield Illinois. The two passengers in the row ahead of me said they were going to see Willie Nelson that night. Someone asked them where Willie was playing and they responded "Branson". They were shocked to bear that Springfield IL is nowhere near Branson... they thought they were going to Springfield MO. Sadly they missed their concert that night.
Sorry to hear. Of course they could have also ended up in Springfield, Oregon. Springfield, Ohio. Springfield, Florida or Springfield, Massachusetts. And sadly, no Willie Nelson there either. Sheesh.
I went to high school in Springfield, Illinois. My freshman year, the first big hip-hop concert ever booked in the city was supposed to be co-headlined by Nelly and Run-DMC, but the latter accidentally booked their flight to Springfield, Missouri instead.
First thing you need to understand is Sun Country is primarily a charter carrier. And lease their services to travel packages operators like fun jet and apple vacations and such.
@@ccudmore Branson MO is probably 5 to 5 1/2 hours from Springfield IL Springfield IL is about and hour and a half from St. Louis Branson probably 4 hours from St. Louis.
While at an airport, I saw a pilot walking past and his phone went “Terrian! Terrian! Pull up!” I would have thought pilots would rather not hear that at all.😂
First a moment of silence to the 62 people who died on Voepass Linhas Aéreas Flight 2283 in São Paulo ❤️😔may they rest in peace , 🙏 thank you again Noel for another epic adventure 😊 cheers from Sweden 🇸🇪
The answer (without having completed the video) to your question Noel is Branson-BKG’s proximity to Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF) in the larger city of Springfield, MO. Doesn’t make sense for any of the major US airlines to serve both airport. So, Sun Country serves this route partly on behalf of tour operators.
Also only 90 minutes from St. Louis-Lambert International Airport (STL) so folks wanting a week in the area would be better served flying into the larger and better-furnished airport and making a short drive.
My family would visit Branson in the 1960's, usually just after school finished at the start of summer. Wow, has the town grown since then!. I remember going to Silver Dollar City there. At the time, it was just the 1800's theme park, i.e. no rides, etc. First time I had heard or seen a dulcimer. My dad, who taught woodworking, was inspired to craft this instrument from plans he bought there. I still have that dulcimer. Another great video Noel! I love when you also highlight the destination locale. Always look forward to your videos while drinking my morning tea!
Another great video as always - fun fact: Branson Airport is the only privately run airport with commercial service in the entire country, which is probably a factor as to why it's so nice and unique. I was on the inaugural Sun Country turn in and out of Branson last summer and it was one of my favorite airport's I've flown into!
Just check from Wikipedia, Branson has only 12,638 population, no wonder has a low usage. By the way, as a foreigner, this city looks very comfortable and cozy to live, compare to what stereotype of places in US.
It’s a traffic nightmare. The town has multiple marked detour routes to avoid the tourist traffic. What he keeps calling downtown is the very edge of town, built as a shopping district at the water. Nice, but not downtown.
Minus the flashy tourist attractions, this is pretty much what a majority of American towns and suburbs are like - very friendly, most people have nice houses and lawns
As someone who grew up in "The Christian Vegas" the issue with this airport is historically most people travel with their family and extended family by car. However, with a population of 50,000 people and millions of tourists there would still be flight demand, but it would require frequency that made sense. It's been hard to get airlines to commit to inflating demand through flight frequency. I do believe if the Southwest fiasco had not happened the airport would have been successful in the long run. (Also Richard Branson trolled the whole city on April fools with Virgin America)
As someone who was born in Missouri, grew up in Kansas and has been to Branson several times I 100% disagree with it being some place mainly just for adults. There are TONS of stuff for kids to do in Branson. It's an absolutely lovely fun place to go as a kid and an adult.
Branson is a big draw for Midwestern states and yes people drive. They bring camper/RV, maybe the boat or jet skis to go out on Table Rock. I've been several times and usually have stayed in a resort type place with 2-3 bedrooms and full kitchen and stay with a lot of family so meals are cooked and that is just part of the trip. There is a lot to do from the lake, go carts, horse back riding tons of shows. Silver Dollar city...there is a lot. It's a great place for families. I think your kids are at the perfect age to really enjoy it there, I recommend going for sure
I am from Springfield, I think the complete overhaul of SGF (which is the Springfield Airport and is actually called the Springfield-Branson National Airport) killed the idea of Branson’s airport being a national airport. Its purpose now is a regional (more private, really) airport for the high profile individuals who flight in and out of Branson for performances, business.
I fly regional jets out of IAH for one of the United Express carriers. Nice to see some shots of terminal B where I spend countless hours! Hopefully I’ll run into Noel one day. I’m also about an hour away from Branson right now watching this on an XNA overnight lol.
I live in Branson, and I have a couple ideas as to why this airport is not as used as we think. Because of the location and the 6 mile drive from US-65 going through hills, the airport is difficult to get to and use due to the expense in fuel. With Springfield-Branson National Airport just 30 miles up the road, it's cheaper and has a lot more connections. Also the airport closes down due to the winter season. Granted, Branson is active until January 1, but there's no point for a direct commercial connection at this time. If the drive to the airport was not 12-15 miles from downtown going up and down a lot of hills, then it could get a lot more business.
Noel, this format is a very good idea. More complete because we have the general introduction, the plane and everything that concerns it, the airport with its presentation and its history and finally the city attached to this airport for which you give us a brief but sufficient presentation and ALL THIS WITH YOUR WELL-KNOWN AND SO APPRECIATED ENTHUSIASM !! Thank you Noel !!
I remember when they built it. They thought it was going to be the new Tahoe. It never took off and was a money pit from the start. Especially with already established Springfield-Branson National Airport 60 miles away. If you go to Big Cedar Lodge and Top of the Rock near the airport, especially the golf courses, It is absolutely beautiful.
Grew up in Springfield, I remember as well when it opened. Only reason I've ever used it or been to it was because SWA flew out of there once they acquired AirTran. SGF is much more convenient for the people who would actually need to fly in/out of the area.
Branson MO is the one horse town that found a way to revitalize it's Ozark country bumpkin / entertainment venue into a place that attracted fading entertainers and people that remembered when they were very popular. It was the Cracker Barrel of destinations. Many people fly into Springfield-Branson airport, take in attractions in Springfield and rental car to areas like Branson. When I was a kid, Branson was a wide spot in the road. We would fish in Lake Taneycomo near the dam. Lots of nice people in the area. You should see some of the bathrooms in the music theaters. Gold covered toilets & sinks. Billiard tables in the adjoining room.
Noel, like Hawaiian Airlines, Sun Country does a lot of freight flights for Amazon, and that's become a huge part of their business. In terms of Branson tourism, most people drive as I wager 90% of tourists come from surrounding states. I visited back when I lived in Oklahoma.
@@adawg2015 @jjoebus so the answer is yes - the headquarters of Bass Pro Shops is in Springfield, less than an hour away from Branson. They have a museum/aquarium and it’s incredible. There’s literally alligators.
@NoelPhillips, thanks for visiting Branson! I’ve grown up in the US Midwest my whole life and Southern Missouri specifically is where I spent my childhood years. Branson has a special place in my heart. Hope you enjoyed the time down there! You should bring the family to Silver Dollar City sometime!
Branson sure has grown up since my college days in Springfield in the 80’s. And actually The Rolling Stones played the amphitheater down there a couple of weeks ago ✌🏻
@@mrvwbug4423 - Baloney. Bentonville is Walmart, period. I've lived in the Ozarks off & on for 30 years. Nobody is talking about their big trip to Bentonville...
I sat across from ya in Springfield waiting for a different flight. Didn't want to bother you but I'm sure we will cross paths soon. Nice to see you in our neck of the woods
My grandparents LOVED Branson MO. Whenever they drove from Pittsburgh PA to visit my brothers in Kansas City MO they always stopped and spent a few days in Branson. Also, I just got home from dropping my husband off as MSP and in our experience it's usually pretty busy.
It makes a lot of sense, Brandon is a vacation destination but largely for lake life/outdoor activities. A lot Branson visitors prefer driving so they can bring campers, boats, rec stuff. etc... Also the small, out-of-the-way, private Branson Airport has big competition from a nice, public but still small and easy to use Springfield-Branson National Airport that has regular passenger service from the closest major city/metro area to Branson. Also since the lowesr rank is based on 2023 figures, 2024 was Sun Country's first season so those 2023 figures should be lower since it didn't have regular passenger service between Frontier exit and Sun Country coming into the market.
Noel! Missouri is my home. Columbia is where I live now and my girlfriend is from springfield, and I have family in Branson. Been watching for years. You are right, Branson is a car-community and SGF airport is close too. It’s also fallen on tougher times since the airport was built.
It’s not just old country folk that go there. There is a great theme park there (silver dollar city) that has some great rollercoasters, and is great for families. It’s also big on camping.
Loved this video, I have some family that live in Branson, but I have never been. Living in Ireland I go back to the same two places each year to see close family, but would love to see Branson even more now. What a great little airport, I go to Kansas every year and there used to be a great little airport that had 8 gates and was orange and brown, could not get any more 70s, Noel, you would have absolutely loved it. There is a new airport now, I really miss the old one.
Not sure if anyone else has mentioned but it’s funny that most of your knowledge of Branson is from the Simpsons and you ended up flying home out of Springfield!
The way you seem so happy during the balcony shot at 19:55. I've actually been to Branson on a road trip with my family when I was 14. It was a great experience. Highly recommend.
I used to visit Branson on business occasionally in the 00's and 10's. At one point United Express used to fly in from ORD and American Eagle (AA) from DFW but most travelers fly into SGF (Springfield), pick up a car and drive 35-45 mins to Branson.
I’ve flown SunCountry back in 2001 when I was a kid on a 727 from the original Terminal 5 at JFK airport. My mom and I flew to Las Vegas to visit my aunt and flew through MSP in some little rinkydink terminal. Wow, what a glowup
Crazy to think I missed you by literal days, out of all airports, at Springfield. I flew from San Antonio to go to an Army competition at Fort Leonard Wood. I honestly thought it was one of the nicest small airports I’ve ever been through. Keep doing what you do brother! 🤙🏽🤙🏽
It’s part of a first flight of the day procedure or prior to each flight test, depending on specific airline procedures. Absolutely no need to feel weird about it.
I operate flights to Springfield on a regular basis and they are often full. SGF also has maintenance facilities/hubs for commercial aircraft as well which I think is a major factor in serving the field instead. That being said, Branson looks pretty cool and I'd love to go visit!
Living in MO my whole life, you’re ABSOLUTELY right. Branson was THE trip, road trip almost every year for a lot of people. 😂 I feel like what happened was those kids grew up and just never went back. As an adult, I’ve never been to Branson. Last time was in roughly 2013 maybe. The excitement definitely wears off when everything there is 2X the price it should be because you’re paying for that tourist name of Branson. That said, silver dollar city is one of the places I think is worth the way overpriced entry 😂 If you can go with the family, that would be a cool trip!
I loved going to Branson. It was very family friendly and between the shows, the attractions, the lake, the Ozark Mountains, Silver Dollar City Theme Park, etc; there is plenty to do and to relax.
Why the strange flight schedule? Schools in the US close during the summer. Summer time is a great time to visit the mountains or sea to cool off. Branson is big on family visits, and music events for the whole family. Most US schools reopen for the fall somewhere between mid August and mid September. If the kids are in school, family road trips are off the table.
Flew MSP to BOS on Sun Country for $43 then Play Airlines to Iceland for $186 then Ryan Air to Krakow Poland for $25 and been in Ukraine for three months now! ❤
Actually lived and worked in the Branson area for a year with a nearby resort. You really should fly back again, maybe using Southern Airways Express into Harrison, AR for another strange small airline. There is the Branson Strip, Silver Dollar City and Big Cedar to explore a bit too.
I'm from Missouri, Branson is about 4 hours from where I live. Thanks for the airport tour! The airport design is heavily influenced by Bass Pro, headquartered in Springfield. Wish you would have seen Big Cedar Lodge, it would have tied the airport theming and the lodge quite well!! Top of the Rock on Table rock lake is quite nice!
I live only a couple hours from Branson and its a pretty busy city with all the theme parks there in town - Silver Dollar City etc., so it caught me off guard when I heard it was the least used. Great video, thanks Noel!
A couple of years ago I considered visiting Branson merely because a regional airline called ViaAir was offering direct flights from Austin's South Terminal (a "secret" small airport within our large airport featuring open-air jet ramps) to Branson on propeller planes. I went to DisneyWorld instead. The airline ceased operations in 2019, and the South Terminal will be demolished to make room for main-terminal expansions not long in the future. Branson airport sounds like a lovely place: A hometown airport for America's "Las Vegas for Baptists", but it has the misfortune to be rather close to the much-larger Springfield, MO airport.
At Christmas they run the train as a Polar Express attraction and it sells out months ahead of time. Santa is on the train and hands out bells like in the movie.
Branson, Missouri seems like a very family friendly town. Really laid back and slow pace of living. I really liked that....the zip lining caught my attention 😀. Too bad it is 824 miles from my home 😂.
My parents and I flew into (and out of) Branson Airport a few years ago. I thought it was so quaint and charming. Quite different from the mega-airports.
"Mr Noel," Sunday morning entertainment. I was in Branson back in the mid-Naughties (2005?); drove in from Shawnee OK. The one tourist attraction that was a highlight was a butterfly museum. Maybe it's still there and your family will enjoy it. As for Dollywood, I used to pass through Pigeon Forge on the way to Gatlinburg each year. One year there was a Santa Claus convention in Gatlinburg. Pigeon Forge traffic was terrible the week the Classic Cars were there. Dolly Parton is an amazing person who has done so much for the people (especially the children) of Sevier County TN. Your family should enjoy that journey as well.
Based in Minneapolis so I've got a bit of experience with Sun Country. Back in the day they used to have a first class cabin and inclusive fares - they were more of a cheaper Delta for a while. Then they ripped out the first class cabin and started charging for carry-on bags, so now they're basically like a more regional version of the other three ULCCs. The vast majority of their routes go through MSP and its smaller Terminal 2. So, yeah, Minneapolis used to have two carriers based here and now that Northwest merged into Delta there's only one with a full headquarters. (Delta does have a secondary corporate campus in Minneapolis though.)
13:44 im obsessed with the train not gonna lie. its beautiful 16:55 i fear you will be roasted for calling a chicken sandwich a burger lol 22:20 well at least you dont have to fly on a CRJ-200
I believe particularly in British English, any meat patty served on a bun is a burger. What Americans call a chicken sandwich is a chicken burger, a fish sandwich is a fish burger, and so on. I believe "sandwiches" are exclusively on sliced bread, not bun.
in canada it's also called a chicken burger. i believe in the entire english speaking world other than the USA it's a chicken burger, that's precisely why some americans are so defensive about insisting it must be called a chicken sandwich lol
@@colkiwi "Burger" is short for "hamburger," which makes sense since is a reference to a hamburg steak, which is ground (mince) beef formed into a patty then cooked. It's frankly a little odd that the rest of the world has decided that anything served on a bun is a "burger," even if it's not beef or minced meat of any kind.
Hey Noel, from here in Liverpool, England :) Great video as usual. I loved visiting Branson (BKG) It really is one of the most beautiful regional airports in the world! I flew BKG-MDW on Southwest Airlines, flight WN693 (737-700/N437WN) on 16th October 2013 - Loved it!
