Yellowstone Regional Airport will once again have a weekly link to one of the country’s biggest cities this summer.
Add Chicago to Denver and Salt Lake City, and we think our local airport is set up well to continue it’s role as a successful, growing airport in the state of Wyoming.
It’s not every airport in the state that can claim the label of successful. Rock Springs, Riverton, Gillette and even Cheyenne have struggled with airport service, with the state having looked for ways to support them.
While the local airport still uses federal funds to maintain year-round service, YRA is becoming ever more popular for summer flights.
The airport board just announced adding eight more flights a week this summer compared to last year.
In 2018 there were 30 flights, all to either Denver or Salt Lake City.
Even with eight fewer flights than there will be this summer, the airport recorded 77,400 passengers coming through last year, the third most on record.
With 38 flights this summer, one going to and from a city with a population of 2.7 million, that number is likely to rise.
These additions to the flight schedule and success in passenger numbers help keep Cody’s local airport in fine company as one of three statewide considered a growth airport, along with Casper and Jackson.
There’s no doubt that Billings still has many more destinations and often very competitive pricing and many Cody residents will default to driving the one hour, 40 minutes north for most flights.
But as our legislators like Sen. Hank Coe and other area leaders are always quick to point out, transportation is an economic engine to a town. And in Cody, thanks to YRA, air travel is becoming a more and more effective piece of that engine.
Zac Taylor
http://www.codyenterprise.com/news/opinion/article_4b8a6ef2-24d2-11e9-a7af-f7641d28927c.html