Missoula's Neptune Aviation may be best known for its red and white firefighting airtanker fleet, but it also operates a thriving passenger air charter service.
Starting September 3, the company is adding a new Montana route to its existing lineup; two round-trip flights per week between Missoula and Billings on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Neptune's Kevin Condit says the new route will fill a hole created after regional carrier Big Sky Airlines folded in 2008.
"Billings and Missoula are the two largest cities in the state and there's lots of business that takes place between the two cities and there's really not an easy way to get there right now. You could drive five or six hours or you could fly commercially five or six hours and it's a really inefficient way to do things if all you have is a day meeting," Condit says.
This is a membership-based service offering either one, two or four round-trip flights per month to Billings. Monthly prices start at $750 and go up to $2,800. Condit says several customers have already signed up.
