News that SkyWest Airlines flights through Salt Lake City will no longer be available at Yellowstone Regional Airport is disappointing.

While travelers will still have the ability to fly to and from Cody by way of Denver, the loss of the Delta connection service to Salt Lake will reduce the number of available flights as well as the options for making connections.

The loss of SkyWest’s Delta connection and its two flights each day will have a significant negative economic impact on Park County. Rental car and restaurant business at the airport will surely feel the impact, and some rental agencies may abandon the Yellowstone Regional Airport as well, taking jobs with them. Businesses and attractions in Cody will also feel the loss of the travelers who arrive by air.

Worse, a few companies who depend on air service may abandon Park County, taking their jobs with them.

From our point of view, it is easy to criticize SkyWest for its action. It is difficult to understand why SkyWest literally dropped this decision out of the blue by email without at least discussing it with Cody Yellowstone Air Improvement Resources (CYAIR) in advance, particularly since use of the airport has been increasing, and is actually nearing a record for the year.

Still, those questions aside, SkyWest is a business and has to make a profit. If they can’t, they have no other choice than to drop their service. We, especially here in conservative Wyoming, have to accept that without much complaint, unless we’re willing to provide more incentive, i.e. more government subsidy for the service.

While SkyWest has an obligation to promote its flights and provide competitive fares, it’s not the airline’s fault that there aren’t enough people wanting to fly to Cody, particularly in the winter. Park County is, after all, a pretty small market, especially when Yellowstone closes down for the season, and ultimately, maybe it’s too small to support two airlines.

CYAIR has not given up on saving the Delta Connection. Delta Airlines itself may be interested in helping find a solution, and it’s possible an alternative can be found to keep the service.

That’s the root of the problem, and finding a solution will take the efforts of any company flying into Yellowstone Regional Airport and, maybe even more important, Park County’s people.