Service to Denver Returns to Sioux Gateway Airport Oct. 14

SIOUX CITY -- Denver air service will return to Sioux Gateway Airport on Oct. 14 with once daily United Express-branded flights operated by SkyWest Airlines.

A 50-passenger CRJ200 jet aircraft will leave Denver International Airport at 2 p.m. and arrive at Sioux Gateway at 4:31 p.m. The aircraft will then depart Sioux Gateway at 5:30 p.m. and return to Denver at 6:12 p.m.

Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott made the announcement Tuesday at a news conference in Sioux Gateway's terminal.

"I remember the America West days. As we added airlines, it added traffic with all the airlines that were here," he said. "We look for that to happen again. I'm excited about that."

Sioux Gateway has been without flights to Denver since October 2014, when low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines halted service to the Mile High City after just four months. As recently as the 1990s, United Airlines offered daily connecting flights to Denver.

The City Council voted on July 13, as part of its consent agenda, to approve a resolution to authorize a transportation services agreement with SkyWest. The agreement will run until Feb. 28, 2022.

Western bound air service, specifically to Denver, has been at the top of the city's priority list. SkyWest has also been interested in starting air service in Sioux City.

Sioux Gateway Airport Board President Dave Bernstein said that Denver is the "final logical piece" with the airport already having three daily flights to Chicago and one daily flight to Dallas/Fort Worth.

"Adding Denver going to the West gives us all directions. We really feel in conjunction with the other two markets that are already served that it will stimulate our market. It gives you more reasons to fly out of the Sioux City airport," he said.

In September 2018, the City Council accepted and approved a U.S. Department of Transportation Small Community Air Service Development Program grant, which is designed to help small communities address air service and airfare issues. The grant was intended to be used as part of an overall plan to recruit and support air service to Denver. City staff have attended many air service development meetings to solidify new service.

Barbara Sloniker, executive vice president of The Siouxland Initiative, said in a statement that Tuesday's announcement is the result of a lengthy team effort and partnership between the public and private sector.

"Adding air service to Denver will definitely have a positive impact on our tri-state economic development initiatives," she said.

The total cost to reestablish a connecting flight to Denver is $1.2 million. The U.S. DOT grant share is $600,000. The city's contribution is $360,000, while surrounding communities and other local support share is $240,000.

"Our partners from South Sioux, North Sioux, Dakota Dunes, Sergeant Bluff and (Woodbury) County all contributed to this endeavor. Without that commitment, we probably wouldn't be successful today," Scott said.

Bernstein said the availability of aircrafts and pilots due to the slowdown in passenger travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed service providers, such as SkyWest, to look for other markets. Airport Director Mike Collett noted that the city was "pretty confident" that Sioux Gateway was "first on (SkyWest's) next list."

"You keep working and then these opportunities come up and you get that phone call, rather than trying to develop a relationship after the fact," he said.

In a time of coronavirus, Bernstein said Sioux Gateway is the ideal airport to travel to and from because it's small, but big enough to allow for easy social distancing.

"I think now that's more valuable than ever. And you also save the drive down to Omaha and you save the parking for a few days down there at a much more expensive rate than we have here, so there's a lot of great things to flying out of the Sioux City airport," he said.

Tickets can be purchased at flysux.com and united.com, or by contacting a travel agent. According to United's website, one-way tickets currently start at $90.

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