Efforts to increase the number of direct flights from Montana’s airports are paying off in at least one city.
Great Falls Airport Director John Faulkner:
"United Airlines is going to expand their direct Chicago flights out of Great Falls. In addition to our weekend flights, they’re going to be adding a Wednesday flight."
Faulkner says that’s good news for business travelers and for the general public.
"Well, it adds about 1,000 seats to our market, and like many of the Montana airports, we’re really trying to increase our eastbound flying. By adding some Chicago service in there, we really diversify the options that the business community has, and that helps with ticket pricing and also helps just with connections."
Missoula’s airport currently has seasonal direct flights to cities on the west coast and Atlanta, and is in talks with carriers to expand service into Texas.
Bozeman’s Airport recently added direct flights into Dallas and Houston and are negotiating service to Boston.
Direct flights from cities in Montana have traditionally been hard for airlines to run profitably. They’re often made possible by subsidies from the tourist industry and other businesses, to guarantee baseline revenue.