BUTTE — Good news for air travelers out of Butte: the Bert Mooney Airport is getting a second flight in the new year, which should give travelers more options and, hopefully, a boost to local business.
“I’m excited, I am just beyond excited. Think about the benefits of when we have our festivals,” said Maria Pochervina with Visit Southwest Montana.
Air service has been expanded to Butte with the approval of a second flight to Denver, which will begin in January 2025. Currently, SkyWest provides two daily Delta flights to Salt Lake City. SkyWest will now add a United flight out of Butte to Denver.
“Although the connection to Salt Lake is great, it limits the amount of places you can get to, especially if you’re going to the East Coast to make connections and things. So, it gives us another major hub to make those connections,” said Butte Chief Executive J.P. Gallagher.
The new flight promises to be good for the local economy, bringing more people to Butte.
“These people who come to this community and spend the night, they’re leaving behind dollars not only in our lodging facilities, but they’re also spending money in restaurants and bars and shopping,” said Pochervina.
Butte has been trying to encourage more people to fly out of Butte, which is challenging with other regional airports that offer more flight options.
“I’ve even been criticized for flying out of Bozeman on a family vacation and, the truth be told, when I had to do that is because I couldn’t get a connection to get to the location I needed to do,” said Gallagher.
