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Grand County Commission recommends SkyWest as essential air service provider for Canyonlands Regional Airport
Summary
After presentations and public comment, the Grand County Commission voted unanimously to send a recommendation to the U.S. Department of Transportation endorsing SkyWest for Essential Air Service at Canyonlands Regional Airport, citing codeshare benefits and 50‑seat aircraft service to Denver and Salt Lake.
The Grand County Commission voted unanimously on March 17 to recommend SkyWest Airlines as the community’s preferred Essential Air Service (EAS) provider for Canyonlands Regional Airport and to forward that recommendation to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Commissioners and staff cited the codeshare arrangements and larger aircraft proposed by SkyWest as advantages for reliability and connectivity. A consultant retained to evaluate proposals provided year‑one subsidy figures showing relatively small differences among bidders: Advanced Air $5,598,555; Contour $5,432,940; Denver Air Connection $5,202,222; and SkyWest $5,424,337. SkyWest proposed operating six weekly flights to Denver and six weekly flights to Salt Lake using 50‑seat CRJ aircraft with United Express and Delta Connection codeshares respectively.
“I attended all three of the presentations… and the community’s telling us SkyWest,” the Chair said, summarizing why they favored the larger carrier and its connections. Commissioners acknowledged community support for smaller carriers — and praised Contour for stepping in after prior service disruptions — but said the combination of aircraft size and codeshares made SkyWest the recommendation they would send to DOT.
Several commissioners noted past reliability concerns with SkyWest and urged that future contracts include protections and performance language to hold carriers to their commitments. The commission requested that staff pursue contract language and pay‑fare considerations during subsequent negotiations and stressed local wage and fare concerns for airport employees and passengers.
The commission’s recommendation is advisory; the DOT makes the final EAS award and may negotiate terms. The commission’s letter and supporting evaluation materials will be transmitted to DOT as the next step in the federal selection process.
