Boosters of new commercial air service from Denver to Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey encountered two new hurdles this week.
In addition to not knowing whether Friedman will be one of the resort airports tapped by Frontier Airlines for its expanded Rocky Mountain routes, they also were left wondering whether the carrier can eliminate a regulatory obstacle and acquire needed aircraft in time to begin flights here for the 2007-2008 winter sports season—if Friedman is on the list. Frontier is still awaiting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for the new service.
A lot is riding on inauguration of the service. Valley businesses have committed at least $400,000 in marketing support to Frontier to launch the flights. But Carol Waller, executive director of the Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau, said she feared that the service couldn't be properly marketed this winter if a decision comes as late as August.
Frontier had set dates in May and then in June for announcing its decision, but now, according to Waller, "everything is up in the air."
Frontier's corporate headquarters has announced it plans new links to four mountain resort communities and five nonresort communities. It will use 70-plus passenger Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft, the type now used by Horizon Air's service to Friedman. However, delivery of the aircraft has been slow.
If Friedman were picked for new service, Frontier's routes eastward from Denver would become feeders for increased travel volume to the Sun Valley area.
However, a brighter side to the delay was offered by Kent Myers, a Colorado-based aviation consultant hired by Wood River Valley businesses to help sell a Friedman route to Frontier.
Contacted by the Mountain Express, Myers said that if the service doesn't begin until next summer, it probably would offer a better chance for first-year success. Summer offers more weather-clear days for operations and the longer lead-up time would allow for developing and organizing a more intensive marketing campaign.
