Jan. 7—For residents longing for a warm, beach vacation in Honolulu or maybe Orlando, Florida, the Boise Airport is working to deliver nonstop service to these sunny getaways, prioritizing them among a short list of new destinations it hopes to offer soon.
The regional air hub is going above the usual route recruitment and offering financial incentives for airlines to bring more nonstop service to some high-demand destinations — Honolulu; Orlando; Boston; Anchorage, Alaska; New York City; and additional routes within Idaho.
In addition to the airport's seven commercial air carriers, new airlines also are eligible for the program, which provides up to $125,000 for at least twice-weekly, year-round service to one of Boise's sought after locations. Airlines that meet the requirements will receive the funds in credit toward fees typically paid to the airport to use the terminal and runway.
Airlines still qualify for half that amount if they offer either seasonal service to one of the target markets, or year-round flights to another destination that hasn't served Boise in at least the past year. They can also apply for marketing and promotional services through the airport to help sell seats.
So far, only Alaska Airlines has taken advantage of the current incentive program, starting direct service to Idaho Falls in June. The air carrier hasn't offered the hour-long flight since 2010.
At the same time, Alaska will join Southwest Airlines and Allegiant Air with a daily nonstop flight between Boise and Las Vegas. Once the Vegas route starts on June 16, it will increase Alaska Airlines' total to as many as 36 daily nonstop departures from Boise to a majority of the airport's 28 destinations.
Among those routes is service between Boise and Pullman, Washington, which Alaska Airlines added in August in partnership with the University of Idaho. The Seattle-based carrier also expanded a planned winter seasonal flight between Boise and Phoenix-Sky Harbor to year-round service, a route that both Southwest and American Airlines also offer. Allegiant flies twice weekly, Monday and Friday, between Boise and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport as well.
The expanding list of direct routes and daily flight options are all part of Boise Airport's long-term strategy to deliver for the region, Shawna Samuelson, an airport spokesperson, told the Idaho Statesman. "We're always working to add additional destinations," she said.
So which airline may be first to begin nonstop service to Alaska, Hawaii or central Florida? Boise's group of airlines declined to say when they might pursue flights to the new destinations, each citing competitive reasons for not discussing future plans and routes.
However, several of Boise's current air carriers already have hubs or crews based out of Orlando, and also fly to each of the airport's other targeted destinations.
Boise Airport seasonal flights to return
Each airline is keeping their eye on Boise as one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S., with a swelling population that has shown a high demand for flights to get out of town.
In just the last year and a half, for example, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways have introduced nonstop service between Boise and two of the nation's busiest airports. Delta now offers service to Atlanta, and JetBlue started flights to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Delta's daily route to and from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport launched in November 2020 under a prior airport incentive program, and was one of the first routes the Atlanta-based airline added since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. JetBlue, meanwhile, kicked off summer seasonal flights to New York City this past July, with plans for its return on June 10, according to a JetBlue spokesperson.
In summer 2017, American Airlines also started service between Boise and Chicago-O'Hare International Airport — another of the busiest airports in the U.S. The world's largest air carrier by several metrics converted the route to seasonal service, which is scheduled to start again on March 26, an American spokesperson said.
United and Alaska Airlines fly direct to O'Hare as well, and Southwest previously offered summer seasonal service between Boise and Chicago-Midway. Southwest will not bring back the route in 2022, according to airline spokesperson Dan Landson, but will keep it on a list of possible restored flights and reevaluate down the road.
2021 nearly rivals 'busiest year at the airport'
The additional direct routes are playing a role in the Boise Airport's growing popularity, Boise Airport officials said. The air hub experienced year-over-year passenger growth for seven straight years dating to 2012, before the pandemic upended the world's commercial air travel industry in early 2020.
Boise Airport topped out at more than 4.1 million travelers in 2019. But last year's numbers aren't far behind, reaching nearly 3.3 million passengers through November — just 12% off that all-time high by that point of the year. The December and year-end totals won't be available until later this month.
After a bustling holiday season at the airport to end 2021, including the busiest November on record with more than 340,000 passengers, the demand for local air travel appears to be back. Passenger counts in Boise are up nearly double that of the down year in 2020.
"We're showing a strong rebound in travel from BOI, and what we've seen to date is well above the 2020 numbers," Samuelson said. "Just being near 2019 is considered a success, because it was the busiest year at the airport."
The new year is difficult to project, she said, in part because of the ongoing pandemic. But based on its growing flight schedule, the airport expects to see passenger counts that are similar to last year, if not even greater with the added routes.
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