The only airline with scheduled service into Vernal is reporting a significant increase in passenger traffic in the past three years. UPR’s Matt Jensen Reports.
Great Lakes Airlines, based in Cheyenne, Wyo., offers daily flights From Vernal to Denver and back. The company says passenger enplanements are on a steady incline. Last month, traffic was up 30 percent from a year before. Company spokeswoman Monica Taylor-Lee:
“We’re just very happy with the results we’ve seen over the last few years,” she said.
The company began serving the Vernal route in 2008, and since 2010, the number of passengers using the service has gone up. 2013 could be a record year for the airline.
“People now are aware of the air service,” she added. “They can get to Denver which has over 1,700 daily flights to 160 destinations worldwide.”
Passengers on the Vernal-Denver route fly on a 19-passenger turboprop aircraft. The airline also serves the city of Moab and destinations in 12 other states. Taylor-Lee says flying from Vernal saves passengers the trip to Salt Lake International Airport.
“Denver is a mega hub,” she said. “And I think passengers and people within Vernal are finally seeing that and seeing that there is consistent service there. And how much more convenient it is than driving to Salt Lake to catch flights.”
In response to the increase in enplanements, the airline added an additional Vernal flight last year.