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Boise Loses One Direct Flight To Portland, Fear Not, One Still Remains

On a Monday morning, the Southwest ticket counter at Boise Airport was mostly vacant. The airline recently suspended service from Boise to Seattle, Salt Lake and Reno.
Molly Messick
/
Boise State Public Radio
On a Monday morning, the Southwest ticket counter at Boise Airport was mostly vacant. The airline recently suspended service from Boise to Seattle, Salt Lake and Reno.

If you tried to book a spring break direct flight from Boise to Portland on Southwest Airlines this week, you’d notice it’s no longer an option.  Southwest released its April and May flight schedule this week, and that direct connection is absent.

“If you have a flight under two hours,” says Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins, “the traffic is just not there anymore.”  Hawkins says travelers can still get to Portland on his airline, you’ll just have to go through Las Vegas or Oakland first.

Boise Airport director Rebecca Hupp is disappointed in the cut.  She says it’s a challenge to convince airlines to maintain or expand air service out of any mid-sized airport, not just Boise, given the high-cost of fuel and airline consolidation.  Click here to continue reading...

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