Oil Patch Airports Lagging On Takeaway Capacity

The Bismarck Tribune is reporting that North Dakota oil patch will be asking the FAA to consider the North Dakota airport projects as a high priority for their discretionary funding.

Some data points:

• “This is the first year they (Dickinson and Williston) have had jet service and they were not expected to have it for quite a while,” said Kyle Wanner, airport planner for the aeronautics commission. “We haven’t built to handle the need we’re all of a sudden seeing.”
• Delta, United and Great Lakes all fly out of the Williston airport, with Delta and United starting last November. Both those airlines have three flights each with talks of adding a fourth come the holiday season, ...
• Steven Kjergaard, airport manager of Williston’s Sloulin Field International Airport, was the first to suggest the use of the modular buildings. The building in Williston is 24 feet by 60 feet and holds 95 people. With the previous space in the terminal, the airport can now seat 120 people.
• Wanner said the airlines also have added flight times, destinations and competition. In Bismarck, Northland Travel Agency’s Cheryl Fenster said travelers may still pay more than $1,000 for a short term business trip. However, those that book in advance to fly out and return after a Saturday can get flights to Denver as low as $200 when they used to pay $750 to $900.
• For August 2013, airline boardings were 18,896 people in Bismarck, 4,246 in Dickinson and 8,640 in Williston, according to aeronautics commission numbers.