BOZEMAN – JetBlue made its Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport debut on Thursday.
Starting December 13th, JetBlue will be offering Thursday and Sunday service to and from Long Beach, California, during the summer and winter seasons. The airport hosted an inaugural celebration that featured Lt. Governor Mike Cooney, along with city, county, and airport officials.
“It’s really a big deal for us because it adds a new airline to the state,” said airport director Brian Sprenger. “Jet Blue is a really high caliber airline and to bring them into Montana is certainly a great thing.”
Both airport and JetBlue officials are very excited about what the two markets have to offer.
“It will connect Bozeman and the surrounding communities with the Long Beach and the greater Los Angeles area,” said Erik Hildebrandt of JetBlue. “Whether it be skiing in Big Sky or actually going to Yellowstone in the summertime, mixed in with the local economy and University, our brand will vibe with the local community here and connect the dots and restore some humanity to air travel and provide a great opportunity to the State of Montana and city of Bozeman.”
“Us having it here in Bozeman is even better,” said Sprenger. “They will start out with service to Long Beach California which we think is a great opportunity for people in Bozeman going to Long Beach. What people may not be aware of is the Long Beach airport is located between downtown LA and Disney Land so it’s really nicely located.”
The airport is very optimistic about the possibilities with JetBlue coming to the airport.
“We’re hopeful that with JetBlue that they will continue to look at other additional markets from Bozeman as well,” Sprenger said.
“Once we establish and mature ourselves in the local community, gain the trust and establish our brand we obviously would like to look at other opportunities if warranted to other locations,” Hildebrandt said
Seven major airlines now serve the airport.
Reporting by Carson Vickroy for MTN News
