Transportation

The reductions are necessary for Delta to “emerge from the Chapter 11 process a leaner, more efficient, profitable airline,” company officials said in a written statement Friday.

Bruce Putnam, the city’s director of transit and aviation, said although America West is leaving the Billings market, he wouldn’t be surprised if another carrier steps in to fill the void.

Mercer said he’s heard no plans yet to eliminate Helena’s lone daily flight to Minneapolis on Mesaba Airlines, a regional carrier that recently filed for bankruptcy, as did Northwest, the airline that contracts with Mesaba.

“All of the airports in Montana have been cut back by Delta at least two or three flights,” Griffith said. “They’re saying it’s for the winter, but I would expect it to be a long winter.”

Called PrePass, the system can give trucks as much as 60 to 90 minutes a day of additional driving time – a significant savings

Truffle stands for "The Reconstituted Urban Family Forming Links Everywhere," which Parks admits is quite a mouthful. The group comprises minorities, singles, couples without children, and seniors – all projected to account for 80 percent of the 250,000 people expected to live around the 50-plus new light-rail stations that are planned, according to the "Invasion of the Truffles" report.

“It’s a credibility issue.”

"This service to Calgary and Boise allows us to connect to two fairly large metropolitan areas," said Mike Daigle, Glacier Park International Airport director. "We believe that GPI is strategically located between these two cities and makes a perfect connection or stopping point."

With three of the nation’s 10 biggest air carriers already in bankruptcy, the impact so far has been surprisingly light for travelers. Here is what to look for.

This weekend’s conference celebrates the remarkable boost modern public transit systems are giving to dozens of American cities. There is no longer any doubt that a powerful link exists between effective public transit and a region’s economy.