Getting there in style
Luxury bus service rolls out new route between Dallas and Oklahoma City
Dallas-based Vonlane, the luxury bus service, is launching a route between Dallas and Oklahoma City on January 6. It’s the company’s first out-of-state offering.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, a Vonlane bus will travel four times daily from Dallas to Oklahoma City and four times daily from Oklahoma City to Dallas. On Tuesdays and Sundays, there’ll be two trips each way; on Saturday, just one trip each way is available.
“When Southwest announced that they were ending nonstop service between Dallas and Oklahoma City, we knew that we needed to fill the void as quickly as possible,” Alex Danza, founder and CEO of Vonlane, says in a release. “Adding this route was always in our plans, but when we realized that travelers would be left without a direct option, we kicked into high gear to ensure service was in place on January 6.”
In August, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines said it would halt daily nonstop service between Dallas and Oklahoma City effective January 6. Fort Worth-based American Airlines still offers daily nonstop flights between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Oklahoma City.
Vonlane says travel time between each city is scheduled for three hours and 15 minutes. That compares with a little under an hour for a nonstop commercial flight.
A one-way ticket for the Dallas-Oklahoma City route costs $99. A round-trip ticket goes for $198. In Dallas, pickups and drop-offs are at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dallas - Love Field. In Oklahoma City, trips will begin and end at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel.
Each customized Vonlane bus features 22 leather seats for passengers versus 56 seats in a charter bus that’s the same size. This allows for ample room and extended-recline seats.
“Our on-board service makes you feel like you’re on a private jet, and lets you make the most of your valuable time compared to your peers traveling with one of those cattle-call airlines,” Vonlane says on its website.
Each bus offers a customer-service attendant, complimentary Wi-Fi, and free video on demand, as well as free access to items like neck pillows, sleeping masks, toothbrush kits, and ear plugs. In addition, Vonlane serves complimentary meals, snacks, and beverages, along with beer for $4 and vodka, gin, whiskey, and tequila for $6.
From Dallas and Fort Worth, Vonlane serves two Texas cities: Austin and Houston. The high-end bus service started in 2014.