For years Salt Lake City was an expected destination for flights from Yellowstone Regional Airport, whether as the year-long destination or at least a summer one.

Now, leaders at the airport and the Park County Travel Council are trying to bring it back for the first time since 2021.

At a May 14 meeting, Park County Travel Council Executive Director Ryan Hauck said the council had pledged to provide $100,000 to a Minimum Revenue Guarantee to bring Salt Lake City service back to the airport and asked the county to match that total. Along with $60,000 raised by CYAIR, the nonprofit would then have $260,000 raised as part of a 60%-40% match with the state to offer a $400,000 guarantee to Delta to offer summer flights to the Utah city.

Yellowstone Regional Airport Director Aaron Buck said the idea would be, as Jackson has done successfully in the past, use the MRG to bring in the new flights until those are profitable enough not to need the guarantee to continue, then turn around and offer an MRG to another city to provide more service.

While previously CYAIR has offered an MRG to United for Chicago summer flights, Hauck said a consultant hired by the council has determined Dallas and Seattle would offer the next highest demand after Salt Lake.  

"Now we're trying to get legacy carriers to come back to the mix at risk, but this [the MRG] can prime that pump," Cody Mayor Matt Hall said. "That's how Jackson has grown their air service."

Buck said at current Jackson sees 21 flights per day.

At a meeting May 21 new CYAIR Chair Dusty Spomer reiterated the plan in front of commissioners.

"For us to be able to grow to that next level, you have to be able to provide funding to those MRGs," he said. "Once you provide that capacity or choice, it grows on its own.

"The airport is in as good of condition as it has been. We've got a facility ready to go to accept the service."

Buck said with an 83% load factor on the Denver flights at present, he didn’t anticipate the airport even having to pay much of the MRG. This could provide money to either fund an MRG for Delta for a longer season, or a new airline. The county commissioners will consider giving CYAIR the requested funding during this summer’s budget process.