“We want to make sure that we still have something that's consistent even if we have to deal with the short term inconvenience of rebooking flights,” Murray said. The airport’s contract with SkyWest runs through early 2024.īoard member Sarah Murray said although the city will be functioning with fewer flights for a period, she said she believes it’s in the community’s best interest to maintain its relationship with SkyWest. The City of #SiouxCity maintains the previous recommendation to keep service with reduced frequency.- SiouxGatewayAirport May 17, 2022Ĭollett said the airline has not indicated a timeline for when they expect to be up-to-staff and able to restore the twice-daily flights. The Sioux Gateway Airport Board will discuss the proposal at their board meeting on Thursday.
“People can drive to Minneapolis.”Ī proposal for EAS was submitted to the from Boutique Air. “Getting to Chicago or Denver on an aircraft is different from getting to Minneapolis,” Collett said. He said the city would rather accept fewer flights from SkyWest because they operate larger planes to cities farther away. Assistant City Manager Mike Collett said it's not clear yet which city would get temporarily nixed.īut, he said these destinations are more in demand to Sioux City fliers than Boutique Air’s Minneapolis would have been. The new agreement would mean cutting one of its destinations – Chicago or Denver – until SkyWest can overcome its hiring obstacles. If the DOT approves the board’s recommendation, SkyWest would be permitted to reduce the number of flights to just 7 a week.Ĭurrently, Sioux Gateway offers two flights a day.
The Essential Air Service program typically requires air carriers to provide a minimum of 12 flights each week to receive federal subsidies. “For a market the size of Sioux City, I just don't think a plane that holds eight or nine seats is going to work for us,” Kruse said. He said he didn’t feel Boutique Air’s proposal would fit Sioux City’s needs. Department of Transportation accepts the board's recommendation, the Sioux Gateway Airport will have to temporarily cut one of its destinations.Īirport Board president Joe Kruse said the airport has long had a good relationship with SkyWest.
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