February 2022 Pierre Mayor's Report

We’re back to one commercial air service carrier in Pierre. Don’t fret! I know the community enjoyed having four daily flights out of Pierre and is disappointed to lose local SkyWest service. Nonetheless, our commercial service in Pierre remains very strong!
 
Overall, I have heard very positive reviews from people who have flown Denver Air Connection. The 50-seat jets are impeccably maintained, the staff is very friendly, and you get to pick your own full-sized snack!
 
Operationally, Denver Air is breaking the curve! Denver Air is a very safe operator, and its reliability record in Pierre is great. They have cancelled no flights, and their on-time flights sit at 92%; that’s above the industry average.
 
One-way tickets to Denver are as low as $60. With prices like that, it might be less expensive to get to Denver International Airport from Pierre than it is from downtown Denver –and faster too!
 
The change in service does, however, mean a change in ticketing. How you book flights depends on where you’re flying.
 
If Denver is your terminal location, you can book through DenverAirConnection.com or any major travel site.
 
If you’re connecting through Denver but your final destination is somewhere else in the country, you can book through United.com or any major travel site. Your bags will transfer, as long as you remain on United flights.
 
If you’re connecting through Denver, but flying internationally, you’ll need to book the Pierre to Denver leg via DenverAirConnection.com and then the remainder of your flight via the airline you’re using or a major travel site. Denver Air Connection doesn’t have international flying status and consequently isn’t recognized during the booking process.
 
Any of our local travel agents can help make arrangements for each of these scenarios as well.
 
Our commercial air service carrier will remain Denver Air Connection through the spring of 2023. At that point, the federal contract will be up for grabs again. We fully anticipate a competitive bidding process which will likely start the end of this year; it will be led by the USDOT.
 
Until then, know that we have a safe, reliable air carrier serving central South Dakota, and please continue to fly Pierre!