Welcome back, Frontier Airlines.
After the city unsuccessfully lobbied the airline to return service to Minot a few years ago, Frontier announced Wednesday that it will begin nonstop service between Denver and Minot on Nov. 5. The airline will offer a flight between the cities on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
It's welcome news, indeed, for air travelers who have long clamored for a way to travel west of Minot without having to first travel east to Minneapolis. From Denver, travelers will have a host of connection options, especially if they're looking to visit cities on the West Coast.
Of course, the continued growth in the oil industry and the resulting population increases in western North Dakota obviously played a large role in Frontier's decision to bring service to Minot. We're not overly concerned with why Frontier finally decided to establish flights between Minot and Denver, we're simply happy to have yet another option. We'd be even happier if Frontier's arrival sparks a bit of an air fare battle between the airlines service Minot, but we won't hold our breath for that just yet.
Having another carrier in Minot brings additional parking concerns and other issues for the already crowded Minot International Airport, but we'd expect Frontier to be busy when flights begin Nov. 5, with the Minot facility experiencing unprecedented growth in airline boardings. We don't see that trend slowing down any time soon, so Frontier's arrival should make the Minot facility an even busier place, if that's at all possible. But the good will far outweigh any potential negatives.