Moab’s commercial air service could soon return to a familiar carrier after the Grand County Commission voted unanimously March 17 to recommend SkyWest Airlines for the community’s next federally subsidized contract.

Commissioners said the proposal — offering connections to Salt Lake City and Denver — provided the strongest path to improving regional access and supporting long-term stability at Canyonlands Regional Airport after months of technical review, airline presentations and public outreach.

They described the decision as difficult, saying the recommendation reflected projected passenger demand, aircraft capacity, network connectivity, long-term service reliability and broader community priorities identified during the evaluation process.

“This is one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to [make] on the commission,” Commissioner Jacques Hadler said before the vote, noting multiple proposals could have positioned the airport for future success.

Airport Director Steve Gleason said the recommendation followed a “robust process” that included presentations from four competing carriers — SkyWest, Contour Airlines, Denver Air Connection and Advanced Air — along with unanimous endorsements from the airport board and a commission airport subcommittee.

“My goal throughout this process was to provide the community with viable options, and I believe we accomplished that,” Gleason wrote in a statement to The Times-Independent. “Ultimately, the subcommittee, the Airport Board and the Grand County Commission reached the right conclusion for our community.”

Under the proposal, SkyWest would operate six round-trip flights per week to each hub using 50-seat regional jets operating as Delta Connection and United Express. Those codeshare partnerships — which allow passengers to book through major airlines while flying on a regional carrier — would enable single-itinerary trips, baggage transfers and frequent-flyer mile accrual across broader airline networks.

The commission’s action does not finalize Moab’s future air service. Instead, it forwards the county’s recommendation to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which will make the final carrier selection through the federal Essential Air Service program. The nationwide subsidy program helps smaller communities maintain scheduled commercial flights that might otherwise be unfeasible.

If the recommendation is approved, the U.S. Department of Transportation would award the Essential Air Service contract, after which Grand County and Canyonlands Regional Airport would work with the selected airline to finalize local operating agreements and prepare for the next service term.

The timing of a federal decision is unclear. Past Essential Air Service selections have taken anywhere from several weeks to several months. In evaluating proposals, the department considers factors such as airline reliability, proposed routes and aircraft, subsidy costs, marketing plans and the preferences of local officials and travelers.

SkyWest’s proposal included a first-year subsidy request of about $5.42 million, similar to subsidy requests from competing airlines.

If selected, the carrier could begin a new four-year contract term Nov. 1 after the current agreement with Contour Airlines expires. Contour was not immediately available for comment.

“We appreciate the Grand County Commission voting to recommend SkyWest Airlines as the next air carrier at Canyonlands Regional Airport,” SkyWest wrote in a statement. “SkyWest is committed to providing quality air service and looks forward to returning seamless access to Salt Lake City and Denver and beyond for Moab travelers.”

Commission unanimously backs SkyWest despite difficult 2023 transition

SkyWest last served as Moab’s commercial carrier until early 2023, when the Department of Transportation rejected the airline’s proposal to continue Essential Air Service because it relied on commuter air carrier operating authority the company had not yet received.

The federal decision triggered a prolonged transition period marked by contract extensions, additional proposal rounds and uncertainty about whether the airport could maintain scheduled commercial flights before Contour Airlines was ultimately approved to take over service.

Some commissioners said the airport’s difficult 2023 transition remained part of their thinking as they weighed the recommendation, though they ultimately said SkyWest’s proposal better matched community priorities related to airline connectivity and codeshare access through major carriers.

“SkyWest did leave us in the lurch in the past,” Commissioner Trish Hedin said. “… I just hope that doesn’t occur again. And Contour came in and picked up the ball and bent over backward for this community and so I am going to be forever grateful for that.”

Commissioner Mary McGann voiced similar reservations, saying SkyWest would need to “earn my trust” after what she described as a difficult period for the community’s air service stability.

“But I don’t represent myself, I represent the community and the community really wants … certain things that Contour can’t provide,” she said.

Commissioner Brian Martinez said the decision came after extensive outreach and evaluation of multiple factors.

“I think we’re moving forward with a good choice,” Martinez said.

After the vote, Cody Thomas, managing director of Market Development, told The Times-Independent the airline believes it is now in a stronger operational position than during the pandemic-era disruptions that affected regional carriers nationwide.

“Since then, things have been rectified,” he said. “We have a great pipeline of pilots that want to work for SkyWest, and we’re very confident that we can serve this airport for the long term.”

Weighing connectivity, capacity and future demand

Airport board members emphasized restoring stronger connections to major airline networks, increasing seat capacity and positioning Canyonlands Regional Airport for more stable long-term service.

In a letter to commissioners, the board said SkyWest’s proposal offered several advantages identified during its review, including a “demonstrated capacity to restore and grow enplanement numbers” — the number of passengers boarding flights — along with larger aircraft and a deeper fleet capable of maintaining reliable service.

Board members also cited the airline’s codeshare agreements with major carriers, its ability to scale flights as demand increases and the potential benefits of partnering with SkyWest because they are a Utah-based company.

The airport subcommittee, comprised of several commissioners, reached a similar conclusion after reviewing consultant analysis, airline proposals and operational factors such as aircraft size, hub connectivity and long-term service sustainability.

The subcommittee’s letter noted SkyWest’s plan was viewed as better positioned to improve schedule consistency and support efforts to rebuild passenger demand following the airport’s 2023 carrier transition.

Airport data show traffic declined sharply following the 2023 transition period, dropping from more than 19,000 annual departing passengers that year to roughly 10,600 in 2024. Contour-provided figures show traffic rose to about 12,100 passengers in 2025 — an increase of roughly 15% but still well below peak levels earlier in the decade.

Grand County also hired aviation consultant Luke Schmidt in February at a cost of up to $50,000 to assist with the federal contract cycle. His work included analyzing passenger demand and travel leakage to other airports, coordinating airline outreach and presentations, developing community survey tools and helping staff evaluate Essential Air Service proposals.

The consultant’s review also examined historical passenger trends, airline operating models and hub connectivity strategies to help local leaders assess long-term reliability and growth potential.

Survey results and public input

The county’s selection process also included multiple rounds of surveys and structured feedback from residents, tourism businesses and other stakeholders.

A targeted February outreach to tourism businesses generated about 20 responses, with roughly 65% raising concerns about continuing service with Contour and about 40% explicitly supporting a return to SkyWest.

A broader community survey conducted between Feb. 14 and March 4 received 109 responses. Raw totals showed about 55% favoring Contour, 24% favoring SkyWest and 21% expressing neutral or mixed views.

Economic Development and Public Information Coordinator Melisa Jeffers told airport board members that later response waves — after the survey circulated more widely online — included duplicate or near-duplicate submissions, more anonymous responses and several comments from airline employees. She said those factors did not invalidate the feedback but made it more difficult to interpret the results as a clear measure of overall community sentiment.

A separate quiz-style survey involving roughly 80 participants focused on travel priorities rather than airline preference. Respondents identified baggage transfer, safety standards and codeshare partnerships among the most important features — factors officials said aligned more closely with SkyWest’s proposal.

The Department of Transportation will now decide whether to follow the county’s recommendation — a decision that could shape Moab’s commercial air service for the next four years.

This story was first published by The Times-Independent.