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The Queen City is getting a connection to a major U.S.A. flight hub.
The Regina International Airport will soon welcome United Airlines with a daily non-stop flight to Denver, Colorado through United Express, operated by SkyWest Airlines.
This service is scheduled to start in May 2025 and tickets are expected to go on sale on the evening of Dec. 19 at United.com.
James Bogusz, President and CEO of the Regina Airport Authority said this is a massive deal.
“Denver is the third busiest airport in the United States, based on 2023 data, and the sixth busiest in the world based on 2023,” Bogusz said.
He said the airport has seen passenger levels back to pre-pandemic numbers.
“In the month of November, we had one of our best months we’ve had in over five years at 105 per cent of 2019 passenger levels,” he said. “It was massive for us.”
Bogusz said the last time YQR saw a similar flight with United Airlines was in 2015.
James Bogusz, President and CEO of the Regina Airport Authority, is excited to welcome the new Denver flight to Queen City. (Gillain Massie/980 CJME)
Getting flights like the one to Denver is not an easy venture for the airport, Bogusz said it takes a lot of work.
“Flights like this do not come easy,” he explained.
“We’ve been marketing to this carrier for many years, and without the province’s support, without the support and partnerships we established over the years here in our community, this never would have happened.”
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The province will be providing a minimum revenue guarantee of up to $3.5 million per year for the next three years. The funding is a backstop and will only be provided if flight revenues are below the threshold amount.
As for the airport, it doesn’t give anything to the airline. It’s providing what Bogusz calls a “minimum revenue guarantee.”
“Think of this as an insurance policy,” he said. “This simply means that if the revenue expectations on the flight are not met by the airline, there will be a top-up provided.”
“This is not a check that’s cut to the airline. This is not a grant. Nothing is being given to the airline beyond a promise of support for marketing, making sure we’re out communicating with all of southern Saskatchewan.”
This includes partners like Economic Development Regina, Tourism Regina, Tourism Saskatchewan, the Regina Hotel Association and more.
Bogusz could not disclose its commercial terms with the airline but said the airport will spend a few 100,000 dollars on marketing for the airline in the initial period.
But Bogusz said the success of these flights is ultimately up to the public.
“Make sure you consider a United.com option as part of your booking consideration, otherwise, these flights won’t be here,” he said. “We’re finally back to pre-2019 levels. The time has come to grow.”
The aircraft is a regional jet 200 series, operated by SkyWest Airlines. It’s a 50-seater jet.
Chad Bachynski, Regina’s new Mayor, echoes the excitement of Bogusz about the new flight.
“This is an incredible announcement for the city, and just so exciting to see what this flight will mean for the city,” Bachynski said.
He said this will provide the city with opportunities to put bids on different events to come to Regina.
“This is just another opportunity and another tool in our tool belt to attract those events,” he said.
Bachynski is confident the route will stay in Regina.
Jennifer Johnson, Deputy City Manager of Communications, Service Regina & Tourism, said the flight will benefit Regina’s economy.
It bid on a 2028 event and Johnson said this flight will make traveling to Regina a breeze.
“We recently announced earlier this year that we won the 2028 Can-Am Police-Fire Games, so those are attendees and participants from across North America that will be coming to Regina in 2028 for those games,” she said.
“This flight is just going to help make that easier, and hopefully help encourage not just the participants but their families to come too.
“When it’s easier to get to a destination, you’re more likely to go there.”
An added bonus for Johnson and her family is that her sister lives in Denver.
“My family’s thrilled!” she said.
She said the direct flight to Minneapolis has brought in a lot of Americans who like to hunt in Saskatchewan.
She hopes this flight to Denver will see more people travelling to and from the Queen City.
— with files from 980 CJME’s Gillian Massie
