For the week of  October 3 - 9, 2001

Airlines serving Hailey stay on schedule

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Air "access is a key part of any resort. 
People need to be able to get here."

- Carol Waller, Ketchum-Sun Valley Chamber of Commerce executive director

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By TRAVIS PURSER
Express Staff Writer

Representatives for SkyWest and Horizon Air, the Wood River Valley’s two regularly scheduled airlines, say recently reduced demand for air travel will not immediately lead to the airlines’ cutting service here.

After Delta Airlines announced last week that it would cut its overall flight schedule in other parts of the country by 15 percent after the Sept. 11 attacks on the East Coast, travelers and businesses in the Wood River Valley watched for similar cuts in the Hailey schedule of SkyWest, Delta’s business partner.

However, SkyWest spokeswoman Sabrena Suite said Tuesday that the airline had already planned to cut its schedule to meet the decreased demand that occurs each winter. It’s a cut the airline makes every fall.

On Oct. 1, the number of daily, round-trip flights between Hailey and Salt Lake City went down from 11 to nine.

Horizon Air will not alter the schedule of its one daily round-trip flight between Hailey and Seattle, said Cheryl Temple, airline director of public relations.

Maintaining the schedules is important because, "access is a key part of any resort," said Ketchum-Sun Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Carol Waller. "People need to be able to get here."

SkyWest manager of corporate communications David Clark said airline management would review its schedule again in November and that some cuts might take place then.

"There will be some changes, but they won’t be severe," Clark said.

Both airline representatives said no employee layoffs are planned here.

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