2 weeks Ago By MIKE SMITH [email protected]
BUTTE — Butte will get daily commercial flights to both Salt Lake City and Denver under a program that provides federal tax-dollar subsidies to provide the service, officials said Tuesday. U.S.
Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, a Democrat, issued a news release Tuesday afternoon saying the U.S.
Department of Transportation had approved the "Essential Air Service" proposal that he has backed. The office of U.S.
Sen. Steve Daines, a Montana Republican, issued its own news release commending the decision. Under the air service proposal – the only one submitted to the U.
S. Department of Transportation for this round of subsidies – SkyWest will provide daily flights to and from Salt Lake City and Denver. Butte had sought two major destination cities for years and SkyWest added Denver under an EAS agreement in January 2022.
But those flights were suspended six months later, in large part because of a pilot shortage, and never resumed. Under the new agreement, they will. "In a town like Butte, increasing connectivity and expanding air service out to other parts of the West is critical for the local economy," Tester said in his news release.
"I've been hearing from folks in Butte about the need to get this done so I'm proud to have worked to get this application approved that will bring more flights to the Bert Mooney Airport and keep rural America better connected to the rest of the country," he said. Daines also applauded the decision and noted that SkyWest is to provide the flights from January 1, 2025 through Dec. 31, 2027.
"This is great news for Butte and all of southwest Montana," Daines said in his news release. "Additional flights in the region will help folks stay connected and ease the burden of travel for Montanans and visitors alike." The Montana Standard left voice mails with Bert Mooney Airport Manager Pam Chamberlin and Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive J.
P. Gallagher early Tuesday evening seeking comment. Gallagher responded Wednesday morning, calling it a "significant milestone for our community and the region.
" "We believe this flight will provide greater accessibility to the city of Denver and its surrounding areas, facilitating travel for both business and leisure," Gallagher said. "We are excited about the positive impact this will have on our local economy and we look forward to continued growth in our transportation options." Under the agreement, SkyWest will get a $6.
35 million subsidy the first year, nearly $6.8 million the second year and nearly $7.3 million the third year.
Those amounts are all five times what the airline gets now. The airline told The Montana Standard in August that the requested increase is due to higher operating costs, including fuel, wages and maintenance. Butte-Silver Bow and airport officials wanted the deal to go through since it would mean flights to Denver again in addition to Salt Lake.
SkyWest's current EAS arrangement ends on Dec. 31. Under the new agreement, it will provide one daily flight to and from Salt Lake City through Delta Airlines and a daily flight at least six days a week to and from Denver through United Airlines.
Chamberlin has said that six days a week to and from Denver is only a minimum and she hopes SkyWest will provide it seven days a week as it did previously before that connection was suspended..
