Big Sky Airlines has high hopes. Company hopes Boise will boost business by 30%. SkyWest wins air battle for West Yellowstone

Montana-based Big Sky Airlines http://www.bigskyair.com/ , which counts Boise http://www.cityofboise.org/ as its second-largest market, hopes its Idaho operations will help produce a 30 percent increase in passenger traffic in 2006.

Chief Executive Officer Fred deLeeuw is estimating Big Sky will carry a total of 170,000 passengers this year, compared with 120,000 in 2005. He’s hoping a large percentage of the projected increase will originate in Boise.

Joe Estrella
The Idaho Statesman

Full Story: http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060331/NEWS02/603310333/1001/NEWS

***

SkyWest wins air battle for West Yellowstone

Be it deep in the halls of government, or high in the friendly skies, the same linguistic rule applies – money talks.

According to an order issued by the Federal Department of Transportation, and signed by Michael W. Reynolds, the Acting Assistant Secretary of Aviation and International Affairs, Skywest Airlines has been selected to provide federally subsidized essential air service to the West Yellowstone airport for two summer seasons, through September 2007.

Two airline companies, SkyWest and Big Sky, had submitted proposals to the federal government, seeking approval for their plans to provide air service to the community. Both proposals included subsidy funding from Washington.

Full Story: http://www.westyellowstonenews.com/articles/2006/03/31/news/news1.txt