VIEWPOINT | Evaluating Pierre's air service

Guest column by Jamie Huizenga, Pierre City Commissioner and liaison to the airport

(City of Pierre)

The city of Pierre along with Denver Air are both disappointed the Minneapolis route has not been more successful. Going back in time when the discussion to add an eastern route to our flights took place, a great deal of thought was put into whether this was a good idea. If yes, do we chose Minneapolis or Chicago? Based on the feedback we received from the community, the overwhelming choice was Minneapolis. 

RELATED: City of Pierre, Denver Air nixing eastbound flight

Not that many years ago Pierre had a successful flight going between Pierre & Minneapolis, so our hope was reviving this route would enjoy that same level of success. The next decision was which days to fly this route to give it the best chance of success, and how many flights each week of our 12 flight EAS (Essential Air Service) allotment to shift to Minneapolis. Every flight we add to Minneapolis would be taken away from Denver.  The best travel days for weekend connections and Twin City activities are Thursdays and Sundays.  Once the initial flight days were chosen, an aggressive marketing and public awareness campaign was initiated by Denver Air, the city of Pierre along with our marketing agency, ArkStar.