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The Idaho Falls Regional Airport entrance. Watch the news conference in the video above. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
IDAHO FALLS – Beginning August 6, the Idaho Falls Regional Airport will begin offering seasonal non-stop flights to Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
Joe Hughes, the managing director of Government Affairs at American Airlines, the airline offering the service, announced the news during a news conference at the Idaho Falls terminal Wednesday morning.
The flight will be available once a day between Aug. 6 and Nov. 1. It will depart the Idaho Falls airport at 12:30 p.m.
Airport Director Ian Turner tells EastIdahoNewsw.com this flight has been in the works “far longer” than he was hired in December 2023. He says it’s been a conversation with multiple airlines for at least a decade and is thrilled it’s finally coming to fruition.
“It’s a huge step for people connecting eastbound,” he said. “It offers people the opportunity to not only reach one of our top 15 destination markets in Chicago, but also have easy one-stop service to another four of our top 15 destinations.”
This is the Idaho Falls airports’ newest route with American Airlines since 2021, according to a news release from the city. There are now 11 non-stop flights available to customers, three of which are offered through American Airlines. Turner says the airport’s daily year-round service to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is its top-performing flight. There’s also a seasonal service to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Turner says there’s a lot of demand for flights to Los Angeles, and the airport is working to accommodate that demand in the future.
Idaho Falls Regional Airport director Ian Turner, center, with other dignitaries following an announcement Wednesday morning about new non-stop flights to Chicago. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com The Idaho Falls Regional Airport has grown continuously over the last five years. In recent years, the terminal has been expanded multiple times to keep up with population increases.
During Wednesday’s news conference, Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper said airport traffic has increased 73% since 2018 and projected “an additional 20% of available seats for our airline partners over 2024.”
“As we keep beating records year after year, we’re going to see this airport have some growing pains,” Casper told the crowd.
A $45 million expansion project that was announced in 2023 will get underway in June. Turner says it will address numerous issues with infrastructure and utilities to accommodate growth.
The project will significantly expand and replace the outbound baggage system, as well as the ticketing, central lobby, and other spaces for essential airport functions. Construction will also include significant upgrades to the terminal’s mechanical, electrical, communication, and plumbing systems.
The 2023 news release indicated this expansion would last about two years, but Turner says the “complete buildout” of a new terminal building will happen over the next decade.
WATCH THE NEWS CONFERENCE IN THE VIDEO ABOVE.
English (United States) ·