If you were born back in the 1900s, you probably remember how international travel from Oklahoma City used to work. Sure, you could book a ticket overseas, but the trip home always included the dreaded “Texas two-step.” That meant landing in San Antonio, clearing customs, hauling your bags, and re-checking them before finally making it back north.
This fall, that shuffle finally ends. Beginning November 8, 2025, Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers World Airport will offer its first true nonstop international service. American Airlines is launching a weekly flight to Cancún, Mexico, every Saturday through April 4, 2026. For the first time ever, Oklahomans can head south of the border and come straight home without a customs detour in Texas.
A LONG TIME COMING
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Oklahoma City had limited “international” flights, but they always required a stop in San Antonio for customs. Without its own processing facility, Will Rogers never truly lived up to its international title.
That changed this spring with the opening of a brand-new U.S. Customs and Border Protection wing at the airport, a project years in the making.
“We’ve been talking about this moment for a long time,” said Oklahoma City Airports Director Jeff Mulder. “The customs facility makes it possible for airlines to consider Oklahoma City for nonstop service.
Cancún is the first, but it won’t be the last.”
A HISTORIC STEP
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt called the announcement “a historic moment” for the city.
“This is another example of Oklahoma City becoming the city we’ve always aspired to be,” Holt said. “For the first time ever, our residents can take an international flight and come directly home without a layover. It’s a game-changer for travelers and for our economy.”
American Airlines officials said Cancún was a natural starting point. Philippe Puech, who oversees the airline’s international network planning, called it “one of the most popular leisure destinations in our system” and a perfect way to connect Oklahoma travelers to the beach.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR WESTERN OKLAHOMA For residents of Beckham County and beyond, the change is more than symbolic. Travelers who once faced a long drive to Dallas or Houston just to fly abroad now have an option much closer to home. Instead of fighting interstate traffic and wrestling through a customs stop in Texas, folks can head east to Will Rogers, board a flight, and be in Mexico before lunchtime.
It also makes coming home far simpler. No more customs detours, no bag re-checks, no missed connections. Or as one airport official put it, “It’s the end of the Texas twostep — at least the airport version.”
TICKETS AND FUTURE GROWTH
The Saturday flights run from November 8, 2025, through April 4, 2026, with tickets available at aa.com.
Airport leaders say this is just the beginning. With the customs barrier gone, Oklahoma City is now in play for more flights into Central America, the Caribbean, and beyond.
A NEW ERA
For Oklahoma travelers, it’s a milestone that’s been decades in the making. The red dirt of home will now connect directly to the white sands of Cancún — no customs cha-cha, no Texas two-step, just a straight shot from the heartland to the beach.
