Yes, a change in air service is happening at the Vernal Regional Airport and no, there will not be flights to or from Denver, at least not after this month. Vernal City is spreading the word again: Contour Airlines will launch commercial flight operations at Vernal Regional Airport on February 1st in partnership with American Airlines. The service will offer twelve weekly flights directly connecting Vernal to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, with current roundtrip airfare starting at $120 dollars. The flights will be operated using a 30-passenger jet, similar to the existing aircraft. A second destination is offered to and from Salt Lake City through Red Tail Airlines and the airport team is working hard to arrange a third destination from the Vernal Regional Airport. Any options for that third destination have not been shared so far. There are plenty of locals that have asked why there will no longer be flights to and from Denver to which Vernal City provided the following response: SkyWest’s application was deemed ineligible by the Federal Department of Transportation. The manner in which SkyWest applied for the Essential Air Service program did not allow them to meet the minimum criteria to compete for the bid. Contour was awarded the federal contract for the next three years, providing flights to Phoenix through their affiliation with American Airlines. Appreciation has been showered on SkyWest as their passenger numbers in 2023 hit a record high of 14,000 passengers.
