Starting on June 16, Idaho Falls Regional Airport will offer direct and connecting flights to and from Boise. City and airport officials announced the new flight, which will be offered daily by Alaska Airlines.
In a press release, Mayor Rebecca Casper said the flight to Boise was made possible from partnerships with the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Boise Metro Chamber. "The Idaho Falls Chamber board voted in October to start a capital campaign to raise revenue guarantee for Alaska Airlines to help incentivize the airline to add the flight," said airport Director Rick Cloutier. Cloutier also expressed appreciation to the Bank of Idaho for pledging $50,000 to the capital campaign.
The new flight will be crucial for business travel to the west side of the state. The flight will depart Idaho Falls at 9:00 a.m. and arrive in Boise at 10:00 a.m. Flights will leave Boise at around 7:00 p.m. and arrive in Idaho Falls at 8:00 p.m.
When the service starts in June, the airport will offer five airlines, with 15 departures per day and 13 nonstop destinations which are connected to over 200 one-stop connections. Earlier in 2021, the airport announced nonstop flights to Dallas, Phoenix and Seattle.
The announcement comes in the wake of the busiest summer in airport history. From June 1, through August 21, 152,280 passengers traveled by plane from Idaho Falls according to airport data. That is a 41% increase from that same window in 2019, which previously held the record. From January to September, more than 307,000 passengers have traveled through the airport. The same time period in 2019 had 270,000 passengers.
Idaho Falls is a gateway for tourists seeking many scenic locations in the region including Jackson Hole, Yellowstone National Park and Island Park.
Nonstop service between Boise and Idaho Falls enhances both communities, making business and leisure travel more convenient between the two. Alaska Airlines has many destinations leaving from Boise which will give Idaho Falls travelers a one-stop connection to many other cities in the country.