Ticket prices from Aberdeen to Minneapolis have dropped with the arrival of SkyWest Airlines, a city official said.
Looking into April, the cost of most round-trip tickets to Minneapolis is $212, city Transportation Director Mike Wilson told the Aberdeen Airport Board Thursday. During the final weeks that Mesaba Aviation and Pinnacle Airlines served Aberdeen, a round-trip ticket to Minneapolis cost $340 to $380, Wilson said.
Board member Steve Kaiser hoped the low prices aren't a “one-month wonder,” available only during SkyWest's first few weeks in Aberdeen. SkyWest began handling Aberdeen’s commercial air service on Friday. SkyWest operates as Delta Connection, just as Mesaba and Pinnacle did.
Wilson doesn't know if the lower fares will continue. But at least for now, those prices make it affordable to fly to Minneapolis and back, he said.
Not all round-trip fares are $212. For those departing Aberdeen on March 31 and returning April 7-13, the cost is $362. For those departing April 1-4 and returning April 7, a ticket is $512.
Some of those fares will likely drop when two-flight-a-day service resumes seven days a week on April 1.
Usually trips that are four days or fewer are more expensive, Wilson said. Flights also become more expensive once most of the seats are gone.
A one-way ticket to Minneapolis in late April is $256, Wilson found.
Also at Thursday's meeting, Wilson said the Bismarck, N.D., and Minneapolis airport district offices are merging as part of a Federal Aviation Administration reorganization. The merged district will be called the Min/Dak airport district office.
The goal of the reorganization is to have 10 to 20 employees in each district. There are currently four people in Bismarck who work with airports and seven in Minneapolis, Wilson said. Bismarck will gain one employee in the near future.
The Aberdeen airport board spent much of its 90-minute meeting working on the updated minimum standards for operators of commercial activities.
