Losing Great Lakes flights won't hurt Gillette tourism - KOTA Territory News

Losing Great Lakes flights won't hurt Gillette tourism

Fewer people will be able to fly in and out of a KOTA Territory city starting in May. The Gillette Airport is facing almost $100,000 per year in lost revenue.

But city tourism leaders say the rest of the town won't really feel the effects of the change.

"Great Lakes announced that come May 17, they would be pulling their flights out of Gillette," said airport director Jay Lundell.
 
The company is moving into "essential air service markets."

Those are usually small areas, some smaller than Gillette, that used to have air service. Airlines get federal dollars for moving there.
 
"With the cost of jet fuel rising," Lundell said, "and right here they're not given any subsidies, so they're going to go where they're getting a guaranteed profit."
 
Gillette will be losing two round-trip flights a day.
 
"That equates into close to 1,500 passengers per month, which is a good hit for a small community like us," said Lundell.
 
It's about an $80,000 hit for the airport, but probably not a big deal for most passengers.
 
"Not so much the tourism impacts. It will definitely impact business travelers," said Mary Silvernell, tourism director for Campbell County.
 
Those business travelers made up 55 percent of Gillette visitors in 2010. But Silvernell noted flying isn't all that popular.
 
"Most of our people who are coming to Gillette are actually driving," she said. "Some, a very small percent, are actually doing a fly-drive combination, but most are driving, or coming by bus or motorcoach or motorcycle."
 
And for those who want to fly, there are still other airlines flying into the city.

"We're actually talking to SkyWest now and seeing if they can add a fourth flight in per day," Lundell said.

That airline added a third flight to Gillette last month.

Lundell hopes to talk airlines into flying jets into the city instead of turbo-props within the next year or so.