CASPER – Delta Airlines’ only daily flight from Casper to Salt Lake City via SkyWest is counting down the days until its final flight, scheduled for Dec. 3 in the midst of the busy holiday travel season.

Delta Airlines' website lists an afternoon flight to Salt Lake City for December 3, but none for December 4 and beyond, stating that this flight is “not offered.”

A Delta Airlines spokesman referred requests for comment to contract airline SkyWest, which did not respond to calls or emails seeking comment.

But the message is clear: Delta Airlines will no longer offer its only daily flight between Casper and Salt Lake City.

That's not good news for Beau Johnston of Casper, an engineer and regional vice president for a Colorado-based company.

He flies to and from Casper frequently, sometimes more than once a week, using Delta service to meet with coworkers and clients throughout the West.

“Saturday afternoon I received an email notification from Delta that my flights out of Casper for December were canceled and I need to call and speak to a Delta representative,” he said. “This is going to hit me pretty hard. I rely on Delta for my flights. It seems like most of the time my United flights are either canceled or postponed.”

The airline's decision follows the Natrona County Commissioner's decision in June to stop paying nearly $1.3 million in minimum revenue guarantee payments on the SkyWest flight, a move recommended by the Natrona County Airport Board.

The commissioners at the time cited the “long-term profitability” and the “value added” of the flight as reasons for cancelling the revenue guarantee payment.

Impact on the airport

Glenn Januska, manager of Casper/Natrona Airport, said Monday he was not yet sure how Delta's final departure would affect the airport's operations and finances.

“We don't know because we wouldn't lose any passengers if everyone who was using Delta switched to United,” he said. “If switching to United meant that United had to add an additional flight, it really wouldn't have any impact on the airport from that perspective.”

Januska said the end result depends on what passengers do. He said the hope is that domestic passengers will want to continue using the services available at the airport.

United currently offers six flights a day to Denver, but the Delta flight is the only direct flight from Casper to Salt Lake City. Januska said he has had discussions with United about the possibility of increasing capacity.

The last Delta flight is listed on Delta's website as departing at 3:25 p.m. from Casper to Salt Lake City on December 3. This is followed by a 1:40 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. flight from Salt Lake City to Casper that day. This afternoon schedule is in effect for the month of November until the last flight, according to the website.

The Monday flight schedule posted at the airport calls for an early morning departure from Casper at 5:35 a.m. and a return at 10:36 p.m., which has been the plan for several months. These times will remain in effect through October 31.

Januska said he had no information on why the November schedule was delayed.

Casper Mayor Steve Cathey said he has not heard from residents about the flight cancellation, but knows the flight will be suspended on Dec. 3. The city had budgeted money from the last MRG payment, but it was never spent because of the county's decision.

“Basically, we had no choice. The (airport) board didn't want to send the application to the county and then send it to the state. We were left out, so to speak,” he said. “This will make the journey from Salt Lake City here much more difficult. That's the way it is. The MRG should not be part of Delta's larger business plan.”

He said Delta's demands on SkyWest resulted in a reduction in passenger numbers when they switched from morning and late afternoon flights to early morning departures and late evening returns months ago.

“You brought this on yourself,” he said.

75% of flights fully booked

Johnston said that while the early morning flight and late night return flight were not ideal, he was able to fit it into his schedule.

He described the number of passengers on the flights as “unlucky”, but added that last year most flights on Mondays at 5:35 a.m. were typically around 75% full, as were his flights home on Thursdays or Fridays.

Johnston said the flight cancellation required him to take one of United's flights to Denver early “to make sure” he wasn't affected by United's scheduling issues. Johnston said he knows others who often take the same flight as him on Mondays and fly back on Fridays who would also be affected.

Johnston is especially concerned about whether he will be able to redeem all the perks he has accumulated on Delta flights, and he is thinking about the fact that there will be only one airline serving the city.

“Before the pandemic and the construction of Salt Lake Airport, there were at least two flights a day with Delta to Casper, and when we moved to Casper 12 years ago, there was even a flight to Minneapolis,” he said.

Januska said the airport is currently in talks with the airlines that make the most sense on the market. He has no information about a new airline.

“In the past, when an airline announced service, it was literally like, they would let me know on Monday and announce the service on Wednesday,” he said. “We know about the time it's announced.”

The minimum revenue guarantee for the Delta Connection flight with SkyWest begins in November 2021, Januska said.

Calls to Natrona County Commission Chairman Peter Nicolaysen, Advance Casper and the Casper Chamber of Commerce were not immediately returned.

In June, Nicolaysen said his understanding of the Delta Connection flight was that airport management did not view the size and type of aircraft as cost-effective, not even cost-covering, and that there were no plans to change that. He said ticket prices were another issue.

“When you look at this, you think, why is this twice as expensive as going to Denver?” he said.

Commissioner Steven Freel said at the time that the county had made “every effort” to allow the airline to continue flying into the area.

“Unfortunately, we are coming to a point where we have to stop the bleeding, and if we end up losing something, we lose it,” he said.

Dale Killingbeck can be reached at [email protected].