In hopes that a sweeter proposal will carry the day, Wood River Valley business interests are planning to up their cash offer to Frontier Airlines to inaugurate Denver air service during the summer and winter.
On top of the $400,000 it proposes to spend promoting Frontier service to the valley in various cities around the country, the Fly Sun Valley Alliance probably will throw in another $100,000 or more in a "minimum revenue guarantee" to underwrite any operating losses of Frontier, according to Carol Waller, executive director of the Sun Valley Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau. She said meetings are under way to decide the amount of the guarantee.
Sun Valley Resort provided a minimum revenue guarantee when Seattle-based Horizon Air launched round-trip service to Oakland and Los Angeles. The routes to California ultimately developed into profitable ventures and Horizon allowed the resort to discontinue the guarantees.
The Wood River Valley resort area is one of some 50 communities asked to bid for new Frontier air service with a fleet of Bombardier Q400 turboprop airliners and regional jets. The 70-passengers-plus Q400 is the type now serving Friedman Memorial Airport by Horizon Air.
A delegation of Wood River Valley business and government officials met Feb. 27 in Denver with Frontier marketing, operations and scheduling executives to make a pitch for the air route.
The basic question asked by Frontier officials of the valley group was, "How do we know it's a good market to serve?"
Waller said the group's response is that Frontier would have no competition on a Denver to Hailey route, a strong year-round travel market, especially in the summer, and growing meeting and convention business.
Frontier is expected to render a decision by April 15 on whether it will start a link to Friedman and other cities.
Those attending the Denver meeting in addition to Waller were Ketchum Mayor Randy Hall, Sun Valley Mayor Jon Thorson, Hailey City Council President Rick Davis, Sun Valley Resort General Manager Wally Huffman, resort Marketing Director Jack Sibbach, Friedman Memorial Airport Manager Rick Baird, Friedman Memorial Airport Authority Chairwoman Martha Burke, Hailey Chamber of Commerce President Michael Beck and Ketchum and Sun Valley residents, respectively, Maurice Charlat and Dick Fenton.
Sun Valley Co. officials and local business leaders have been seeking to establish roundtrip air service between Friedman and Denver for several years, primarily to increase accessibility to the Wood River Valley for tourists living in the interior West and on the East Coast.
Frontier Airlines is deciding whether to offer service to and from Denver with planes similar to those used for regional service by Horizon Air. Photo by Mountain Express
