Yellowstone Regional Airport is undergoing some changes. Ray Lee, who was formerly a member of the board of trustees has assumed the position of interim airport manager and was able to find a silver lining in the slowdown of air travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The airport parking area, which does not charge passengers a fee to leave vehicles in the lot, has been expanded by 350 spaces, Lee said, doubling the capacity.

A quick turnaround rental car hub is being constructed that will allow cars to be returned, washed, cleaned and disinfected inside and put back in the rental fleet within a very small window. That quick turnaround essentially means there will be more cars ready to go out on rental all the time.

During the summer season, YRA has offered non-stop flights from Chicago. That leg is a boon for European travelers who often land in Chicago and can easily connect to Cody. There are also usually two flights to and from Salt Lake City per day during the warmer months.

What hasn’t changed, Lee said, is the two flights in and two flights out daily to Denver. From there travelers are able to easily connect almost anywhere they wish to go.

The pandemic slammed YRA just like it did the rest of the travel industry. While car rentals dropped in April to about 20% of the rate from April 2019, it has rebounded. For September, the busiest September on record for visitors to Yellowstone National Park, car rentals returned to 70% of the rate from September 2019.

The airlines, which dropped in April 2020 to a low of 5% of the usual April rate, have also made an astounding rebound, up to 60% of the rate for September of usual rates.

There is a new eating establishment at YRA as well. The Monte Christo Bar and Grill has opened its doors on a limited basis. It is serving breakfast and lunch.

“They [the owners] are figuring the business out in the quiet time to build realistic goals and expectations,” Lee said. “It is a real service for passengers and general aviation.”

General aviation is the term applied to non-commerical aircraft operators. That area of YRA is also expanding this fiscal year, Lee said.  In a $1 million project, 11 private hangars are being built, and taxiways and infrastructure including water, sewer and gas capacities are being installed for those hangars. There are 80 existing hangars rented to private aircraft owners and there are executive hangars as well where larger private aircraft are parked.

Two other projects are on the books for the not-to-distant future, Lee said.

In one, the terminal will be expanded. The plans are ready and grant money has been set aside for the project, Lee said.  There will also be a relocation of the fencing used to keep wildlife off the runways. That project will be completed this year, but the terminal work is down the road yet.

“There is a lot of paperwork involved when you are dealing with multiple city, county, state and federal agencies,” he noted. “We are looking at maintaining what we have but enhancing the facilites such that when travel does come back we will be well-positioned to handle it.”

While travel regionally is slowly recovering, especially in the West and Midwestern United States, Lee said COVID is a global issue and for the industry to fully recover, the virus has to be eliminated. 

YRA logs about 40,000 enplanements per year, with 42,000 in 2019. The facility is on an active search for an airport director who can work with commercial and general aviation, build relationships with the county commission and city council and the airport tenants.

“I’m just standing in the gap until a manager is found,” Lee said.