SeaPort Airlines To Offer Service To Boise

Boise will be much closer to eastern Idaho thanks to a new air service being reinstated between the Idaho Falls Airport and the state capital.

SeaPort Airlines, a small Pacific Northwest based airline, hopes to begin service between the two cities by mid-July.

The airline is just waiting to see if local businesses will pre-order tickets to ensure their services will be used, and after Wednesday’s community meeting it looks promising.

Horizon Airlines out grew Idaho Falls but demand for a flight between Idaho Falls and the state’s capital has not.

“There is still over 13,000 people a year who fly from Idaho Falls to Boise even when they have to go through Salt Lake, so we think we can do a good job for Idaho Falls,” said SeaPort president Rob McKinney.

And the airline is doing it all on its own.

“This is entirely at SeaPort’s risk,? said Sixel Consulting Group’s marketing director Jack Penning. ?There is no grant money, no government support, this is a business coming in saying, we think there is an opportunity to make money.”

Local business representatives agree it is needed.

INL representative Amy Lientz said they have about seven to 10 employees traveling to Boise each week.

“It’s not just our people going to Boise, it’s people coming from Boise to the INL, and it’s been a challenge without horizon,? Lientz said.

Director of Idaho Falls Veterinarian Emergency Clinic Dr. Sarah Herres said the service would allow them to offer more services.

“If we could get this flight going and get these specialists over here the whole eastern Idaho area can benefit,” Herres said.

McKinney said it will be less expensive than flying through Salt Lake, the most notable difference will be the smaller aircraft.

But unlike most small regional airplanes, the Pilatus is still in production.

“We are going to make it affordable so you can make day trips to Boise and be home for dinner,? McKinney said.

But its success all depends on the community.

“If it doesn’t catch on it will go away,? Penning said. ?As soon as it starts it’s important to support it.”

The new service will cater to businesses, offering four round trips a day, two in the morning, two in the evening, carrying nine passengers at a time.

While there are nearly 200,000 airline passengers from this region flying every year, more than 40 percent of them travel to another airport.

The price has not been set yet, but is projected to cost around $150 each way.