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Airport director says SkyWest plans Salt Lake service Oct. 1, Denver Oct. 7; staff press carrier on jobs and wages
Summary
Airport Director Steve told the Grand County Airport Board SkyWest proposes Salt Lake service beginning Oct. 1 and Denver service on Oct. 7; staff are pressing the carrier to avoid a seven-day gap and to hire full-time agents at local living wages rather than part-time $16 postings.
Airport Director Steve reported that SkyWest has proposed a service schedule that would begin flights to Salt Lake on Oct. 1 and to Denver on Oct. 7, and that the county is negotiating closely to avoid a possible seven-day interruption in service.
"Salt Lake will definitely start October 1," Steve said, and he told the board staff were "working really hard to see if we can eliminate that 7 day gap" created by training lead time. He said United27s training schedule and a DOT timing issue contributed to the compressed lead time SkyWest requested.
Steve and staff also raised concerns about SkyWest27s initial job postings. Rachel and other board members flagged a careers posting that described part-time agent positions starting at $16 per hour; Steve said airport staff are pressing SkyWest to meet the airport27s previously discussed staffing and pay expectations. "He's got to go through a little bit of a board process before they can start changing that," Steve said, adding that staff had given SkyWest "some new numbers that we wanted to shoot for, and I'll be talking to him again tomorrow."
The director said staff will circulate firm dates and booking availability as soon as SkyWest confirms when the schedule will be live, noting, "I'll have Sarah send out to you exactly what date we can expect it to go live online." Board members said they are watching bookings to see whether the proposed schedule holds and urged staff to push for full-time positions and living wages where feasible.
Why it matters: A stable, clearly scheduled commercial service affects airport operations, ground transportation and local businesses; any gap or shift in flights can reduce connectivity during off-peak periods and affects staffing, scheduling and marketing plans.
