Starting today, Dec. 15, Friedman Memorial Airport will see an increase in flights to and from the valley for the winter season.
Weather permitting, Seattle-based Horizon Air will begin daily direct flights between Friedman and the California hubs of Los Angeles and Oakland. The airline will continue its daily service to and from Seattle and may provide additional weekend flights on that route during the high season.
"These flights are critically important," said Carol Waller, executive director of the Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau. "Air service is critical to our continued economic development, not only for tourism but for general business travel and quality of life."
Direct flights to Friedman beginning today are:
· Los Angeles to Sun Valley departs daily at 9:10 a.m., arriving at 12:35 p.m.
· Sun Valley to Los Angeles departs at 7 a.m., arriving at 8:30 a.m.
· Oakland to Sun Valley departs at 4:15 p.m., arriving at 7:05 p.m.
· Sun Valley to Oakland departs at 2:40 p.m., arriving at 3:35 p.m.
· Seattle to Sun Valley departs at 11:20 a.m., arriving at 2 p.m.
· Sun Valley to Seattle departs at 1:15 p.m., arriving at 1:59 p.m.
The schedule is slated to last until April 7.
SkyWest Airlines continues daily flights to and from Salt Lake City.
"There are between nine and 12 per day (each way) all year," Waller said.
Horizon Air passengers boarding at Friedman numbered 12,679 between December 2005 and the end of March 2006. The previous winter, that number was 11,118, while the winter of 2003-2004 totaled 9,831.
SkyWest figures for last winter, December through March, numbered 13,585. The previous year saw 12,971, while the tally the year before was 14,481.
Last season, February saw the most visitors come through Friedman, counting both SkyWest and Horizon flights. During the two previous winter seasons, March was the busiest month.
Originally, the Chamber & Visitors Bureau contributed to minimum-revenue-guarantee funds that Sun Valley Co. would pay Horizon if the airline didn't meet a certain financial goal.
The Los Angeles-Sun Valley flight, which began in December 2002, received a subsidy for two years.
In 2003, the entire sum of a $600,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation was used to repay Horizon Air for losses the air carrier suffered in offering daily nonstop service in 2003 between Hailey and Los Angeles.
The Oakland route, which began in 2003, received a minimum-revenue-guarantee payment for one year.
For flight information, log on to www.visitsunvalley.com. Click on "vacation planning," then on "flight schedule."
