Competition for air service among small communities has intensified due to a nationwide shortage of regional pilots combined with high oil prices.
The Great Falls Airport Authority and the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce are campaigning to expand their market with a new direct service to Los Angeles.
The addition of Allegiant’s direct flights to Las Vegas and Phoenix moved these destinations to the top of the airport’s market.
The Great Falls Airport Authority says a direct service to Los Angeles has the potential to become even bigger. Even without direct service, an average of 20 passengers a day fly between Los Angeles and Great Falls.
Great Falls International Airport director John Faulkner says, “This market could really be a tremendous boost to our community. And what it does is it brings Canadians down to fly out of our community, which brings money to our community. It brings more tourists into our community from California, which again brings money into our community, and it creates lower cost airfares."
A letter from the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and the Great Falls Airport Authority to attract a low cost airfare carrier states: “The impact of pilot and airplane shortages combined with sustained high oil prices and higher wages continues to disproportionately impact smaller communities. Fourteen small communities have lost all air service since 2019 and over 100 routes have been discontinued including all Delta flights to Casper, as announced last week. Competition for air service among small communities has intensified leading to a rapid expansion in community air service incentives."
The Great Falls Airport Authority and the Chamber of Commerce are trying to expand the GTF market in order to stay in competition with other communities for air service amongst airline consolidations.
Faulkner explains, “The airport doesn't receive any of the ticket price. You know, we want the lowest fares that we can get. The most difficult problem that we face is a lack of population growth in the community. And so, we really have to reinvest from time to time in bringing additional air service in our community."
In order to attract a low cost airline to service this direct flight, the airport authority needs to raise $250,000 in funding to guarantee the airline a profitable first two years of the flight.
Faulkner said, “Last time we deployed incentives to an ultra low cost carrier, it was Frontier. About ten years ago they were here for three or four years and they never used any of the money because they were always profitable. So it's basically a revenue guarantee. We're saying, you know, ‘if you come to our community, we promise we're going to use those seats’."
From an economic development perspective, expanding air service in Great Falls not only allows our airport to compete with other airports for business, it would result in lowering the cost of air fares, and attract more people to spend in the community.
President of the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Ed Brown says, “Having that connection for people on the West Coast or even overseas, that now they can connect in a city in California, and then come straight to Great Falls and visit Glacier, visit Yellowstone, visit our great city and see that we have to offer. We're excited and supportive of the community supporting the initiative to really just run up to the hill and fly out, rather than driving hundreds of miles to get your airline."
Due to a shortage of planes and slow airframe production, the Airport Authority estimates a 2026 timeline for this project. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
