Committee hopes to bring more planes into Pocatello Airport

The committee looks to bring more business travelers through the airport’s doors to hopefully bring more planes down the runway.

As the CEO of the tech company Affinity, John Alexander is always catching a flight. In a month, he’ll typically fly three or four times, but it’s not just him.

“At least one to two of our team members are going in and out of the Pocatello airport every week,” he said.

That’s why as chair of the new Airport Service Committee he’s hoping to bring more flights to the airport, especially the third SkyWest flight lost earlier this year.

Right now, the committee is doing that through networking, finding out why travelers aren’t flying through Pocatello.

“As we get the word out and we communicate with individuals, we say, ‘Hey, look, considering flying out of Pocatello,'” Alexander said. “(When) there are more people flying out of Pocatello, there’ll be more opportunities because there’s a created market.”

The airport’s general manager David Allen said in some cases it’s a “no brainer” to fly locally. Especially when you add the costs of gas, driving time to other airports and parking.

“When you consider the mileage that you put on your vehicle, the wear and tear and the depreciation to the vehicle, the gas and the parking– you’re easily up over $200,” Allen said.

With more flights, comes more access to the area, which could attract more businesses to take root. Alexander said competition is always healthy for businesses.

“We have to be able to offer an opportunity to be able to work out of an area and an airport is one of the primary assets a community needs to attract companies like myself,” he said.

After restoring the lost SkyWest flight, the committee plans to look at other carriers to other hubs, like Seattle. The committee will also be looking at improving amenities at the airport.

To quickly compare flight costs and times at Pocatello’s airport, you can go to iFlyPocatello.