Dayton-area travelers will soon be able to fly non-stop to Denver thanks to a statewide program called JobsOhio Air Service Restoration.
Terry Slaybaugh, vice president of Sites and Infrastructure with JobsOhio said, “We establish a cost for a flight and for 12 months if the revenue for that flight falls below the minimum amount of revenue they need to achieve then we make up the difference."
Te program collaborates with public and private entities to increase the number of destinations served at the state’s seven commercial airports.
"That’s an incentive we’re giving the airline to come into the market and we’re sharing the risks with them," Slaybaugh stated.
Montgomery County and Care Source partnered with Slaybaugh's team to land the Denver flight at Dayton International.
A portion of revenue from the JobsOhio Beverage System, the state's liquor business, fund JobsOhio — roughly $250 million. Up to $10 million supports the Air Service Restoration program.
Since the Spring of 2021, the program has added 500,000 airline seats and created access to 27 domestic and 2 international destination markets, Dublin from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and to London from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
The latest is a non-stop flight to Denver on United Airlines.
“Denver is one of United’s largest hubs. You can go anywhere in the United States and in the World from Denver," explained Slaybaugh. "Being able to win this service for a small hub market like Dayton is really important in recovery from the pandemic.”
Beginning in late September, the daily flight will depart at 9 a.m. It'll be an Embraer Air 175 offering 12 first-class seats, 16 economy-plus seats and 48 standard economy seats.
There are no middle seats–only aisle and window. First class seats have power outlets, there's inflight entertainment and wifi.
Slaybaugh believes this new direct route will encourage more travel.
“This is going to stimulate the market, having the option to come to Dayton to fly to Denver direct versus the existing service in Columbus or Cincinnati — you’re definitely going to see people come back to fly out of Dayton,” Slaybaugh said.
