I’m going to let you in on one of the best-kept secrets in the aviation industry… Contour Airlines! This regional airline is coming to Indy soon bringing with it a unique travel experience with a 30-seat aircraft taking you conveniently by air to destinations that would normally be a lengthy drive. At the Indianapolis International Airport (IND), it’s our job to connect Hoosiers with the destinations they need most – for both business and leisure travel. Contour certainly hits the mark and they have proven to be a respected, reputable, safe, and reliable airline.
How did we get here? It can take years to bring a new airline into a city. The Contour Airlines’ Indy story goes back to 2017 and culminated in February 2020, during the world’s most premier air service conference Routes Americas, when Contour Airlines initially announced plans to fly out of IND. Coming off a record year for passenger traffic at IND in 2019, Contour was poised to continue that momentum into the new year. However, when the pandemic hit, plans for service were put on hold. Throughout the pandemic, the Indianapolis Airport Authority remained engaged with Contour to determine the right time to resume their Indy plans. As passenger traffic recovered during summer 2021, so did Contour’s confidence in Indy. And sure enough, on July 28, Contour once again announced their plans to launch operations out of Indy. Contour will fly to Nashville (BNA), Pittsburgh (PIT), and Milwaukee (MKE) starting on October 12th.
Fly vs. Drive: These cities are strategic additions to IND’s route portfolio as they are typically seen as “drive markets.” By flying instead of driving, Hoosiers can start their business trip or fun weekend getaway in a little over an hour flight time, where that same trip would typically take 4 to 6 hours by car.
For the “re-launch” press event, we welcomed Contour to Indy with our famous Hoosier Hospitality highlighting our creativity and community collaboration. We hosted the press event in an aircraft hangar with a Contour aircraft posed front and center. Invited community guests and media could tour the aircraft and get a sense of the unique Contour passenger experience. There were also special remarks from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) and Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, as they played a pivotal role in bringing Contour Airlines to Indy.
If you’ll let me be an aviation geek for a moment… there’s no better way to take a day or weekend trip to one of these cities than to fly on Contour’s spacious Embraer 135/145 aircraft. As I toured the aircraft and experienced the seats for myself, I must say, it’s probably the best and most spacious seat for the price. With leather seats that are 18 inches wide with 36 inches of pitch, it rivals the seats of most other airlines’ domestic first-class seat dimensions, and at the price of an economy ticket. With only 30 seats in an aircraft designed for 50 seats, the passenger experience felt spacious and certainly more personalized. There was plenty of room to stretch my long legs!
I’m ready to celebrate Contour’s inaugural flights, and I am also excited to see visitors from Nashville, Pittsburgh, or Milwaukee experience all that Indy has to offer.
If you’re thinking about taking a trip to these three cities, 10/10 would highly recommend flying Contour when service starts at IND on October 12. Hoosiers flying on Contour will really appreciate Contour’s excellent customer service, commitment to reliability, safety, and more personalized experience.
IND Cares about you and your travel experience. For the latest COVID-19 health and safety information at the airport and with our airline partners, please visit IND.com/COVID19.
Meet Curtis Taylor
Curtis Taylor is a rising star in the aviation industry serving as the Air Service Development Coordinator at the Indianapolis International Airport (IND). He currently serves on the Indy Aviation Career Education Academy Board mentoring local students to pursue aviation-related careers. Curtis was recently recognized by the Center for Leadership Development as an “Up and Coming Achiever,” and is a member of IndyHub’s 1828 Leadership Project, Class XI.
Instagram: @cjfromthe7_
