Bismarck Tribune - North Dakota News - Connections with Salt Lake appreciated

Connections with Salt Lake appreciated

Dec 11, 2008 - 04:06:05 CST

Bismarck-Mandan air travelers can't help but be pleased with Delta Air Lines' announcement that it will add daily Bismarck to Salt Lake City service in June. It gives a traveler options.

Delta will add a daily Fargo to Salt Lake City route, as well.

The new routes appear to be a spin-off of the pending merger of Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines.

As North Dakota aggressively enters global markets and expands its energy exports, it becomes critical that business travelers can get in and out of the state's capital city by air - from the east and west.

The recent addition of non-stop service from Bismarck to Mesa, Ariz., by Allegiant, was a big boon to snow birds, their families and people looking for alternative connections.

The state's sparse population has always hampered the development of multiple air connections to wide-ranging destinations.

There has always been demand. The trick has been to find the right model, the right combination of flights in and out, and on the right days.

High ticket prices, and fares that have defied logic and a sense of fairness, also have held down volume.

People are happy with another connection, but they are worried about fares. Certainly, this summer and fall, high fuel prices added to the inflated fare costs. Those prices have been slow to come down, even though the per-barrel value of crude has fallen sharply.

While Bismarck and Fargo were a part of the smiling welcome to Delta, Minot was left out in the cold. Minot Mayor Curt Zimmerman stressed the need for connection to the west in support of the developing oil industry and expansion of the Minot Air Force Base.

"Our citizens deserve it. Our base folks deserve it," Zimmerman said in a Dec. 6 Associated Press story. He's right, but decisions such as these must hinge on financial feasibility.

The city of Bismarck has hired Sixel Consulting Group Inc. to "advocate" for the city with Delta. We hope that the firm is successful in not only seeing Delta establish the route to Salt Lake City, but in adding other flights, increasing the frequency of flights and in reducing air fares.

Further, the merger isn't fully complete, and having someone paying attention to Bismarck-Mandan's concerns makes sense.

Good air service makes a critical difference in promoting North Dakota's business and industry.

News > Opinion

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Comments

FreqFlyer wrote on Dec 11, 2008 9:24 PM:

" I'm glad to have service again to Salt Lake City. (something we used to have until about 10 years ago or so). It's a good hub for reaching the west coast. Since I have Elite status on NWA I usually avoid United / Denver; but it stinks to fly to MSP, then several hours later fly back over BIS on the way to Seattle, etc. As for the complaints about MSP, I don't understand what the problem is. If you have to have a layover its a good place to be. And you can fly pretty much anywhere from there, including nonstop international flights. I fly about 15 trips a year and don't have a big problem with Bismarck's air service. Seems that those who fly once or twice a year do a lot more complaining. "

kk wrote on Dec 11, 2008 3:44 PM:

" to "be glad" you said it ~ you come ONCE a year~ we are talking about flying OUT MORE than once a year. We have a right to ASK "

not happy wrote on Dec 11, 2008 12:27 PM:

" some people just can't be happy about anything. "

be glad u have more options wrote on Dec 11, 2008 12:21 PM:

" Why does everyone complain and demand they add more to FL or othe major airports. be glad that you have more options. I fly backto Bismarck once a year and have flown thru Salt Lake many times for work. It is a clean, fast, and efficient airport. I am always glad to fly through there as I leave on time everytime. Plus, it does not mean you haveto stay in Salt Lake, you can catch another flight elsewhere, possibly saving you money instead of flying through MSP or DEN. "

kk wrote on Dec 11, 2008 8:36 AM:

" how about something direct to the West Coast or the East Coast or even FLorida? Salt Lake City???? "

BabyT wrote on Dec 11, 2008 7:32 AM:

" Bis to Salt Lake City? Nope, probably will never fly that route. We already have Denver, a much better connected hub anyway, so I really don't see the point. Same with Mesa, it serves the snowbirds but really nobody else. What we DO need, and for some reason the airlines fail to see it, is a good route EAST! Minneapolis doesn't cut it. Allegiant should add Bismarck to the Florida route, as well as a carrier going to maybe Atlanta or Chicago. More options are always nice, but lets talk about the value of those options. "

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