Saturday, December 10, 2011

Airline shows interest in providing Bozeman-to-New York City direct flight

One airline has responded to entreaties sent out to most major airlines about establishing a direct flight from New York City to Bozeman.

Airport director Brian Sprenger declined to identify the airline, citing the competitive nature of the airline industry and that airport officials are in the early stages of reviewing the airline’s proposal.

Airport officials must work with airline officials to determine the specifics of the possible flight, hammering out details such as the flight frequency and financial details, he said.

The local match to the $955,000 federal grant to establish the flight is still coming together. Groups from the Bozeman area, Yellowstone Club, Big Sky Resort and West Yellowstone are working together to raise a total of $688,000.

Bozeman is about $15,000 to $20,000 short of its fundraising goal of about $125,000, said Daryl Schliem, president of the Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce.

“The last few thousand dollars always seem to be the hardest,” he said.

The local money will pair with the federal grant to keep the direct flight economical for the first two years. After two years, the flight is expected to be self-sustaining.

The real benefit growing out of these fundraising efforts are the partnerships being developed by all the different parties involved, Schliem said.

“It’s more than, I think, just the flight… For the first time you’re starting to see partnerships that are being solidified by each of our organizations working together,” Schliem said. “In the long run, we’re really looking out for the whole Gallatin Valley.”

The goal is to raise the final portion of Bozeman’s match by the next Gallatin Airport Authority meeting Jan. 12.

At December’s meeting, the authority voted to change the name of the airport from Gallatin Field to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport at Gallatin Field. Those involved expect the name change to attract a larger number of people to the airport and help make it the premier airport for visitors coming to the country’s first national park.

“We want to make Jackson Hole our enemy,” Schliem said Thursday in reference to battling the Wyoming town for some of the roughly 4 million annual visitors to Yellowstone National Park.

Certainly having a direct flight from New York City to Bozeman would aid the airport in that quest. And while only one airline has responded so far, Sprenger is confident everything will pan out.

“(I’m) very excited. (I) think it’s going to happen,” Sprenger said.

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