Sioux Falls air travel plummets as airlines chop flights

May 11, 2020

The skies above Sioux Falls are noticeably quieter.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, airlines that used to fly a half-dozen routes a day between Sioux Falls and destinations such as Chicago, Minneapolis and Denver have cut that down to two or three – assuming they don’t end up canceling.

Delta Air Lines runs at most three flights per day to Minneapolis.

United Airlines runs two each to Chicago and Denver.

American Airlines sends one flight out in the morning to Chicago, Phoenix and Denver “and then nothing all day until the three planes come in,” said Dan Letellier, the executive director of the Sioux Falls Regional Airport.

Allegiant Airlines is still showing flights available for sale, “and three or four days out they cancel them,” Letellier said. “At least the other three have put together a schedule that is greatly reduced, but everybody has something to go by. And they’re trying to operate those and not just post them and cancel them.”

Cancellations still abound, though. On May 8 and 9, Delta ended up flying one flight to Minneapolis and canceling one. It flew one from Minneapolis to Sioux Falls and canceled one. United flew one to Sioux Falls from Chicago and canceled one and flew one from Chicago back to Sioux Falls and canceled one.

While final numbers aren’t in yet, Letellier expects overall passenger numbers in and out of the Sioux Falls airport to be down 95 percent for April.

The airport’s parking revenue gives some indication of what’s coming. Typically, it would be more than $400,000 for April. This April, it was $22,000.

“And that’s 45 percent of our income is parking,” he said.

Airlines “still haven’t really gone through and chopped their summer schedules from what were posted,” he added. “They’re just now getting to June and making reductions. I think June and probably into July what we see today is what we’ll see most of the summer, because if you get a 70-seat jet and you’re now maybe putting 15 people on it, there’s a lot of extra seats. This is going to be a very subtle, gradual thing.”

Most Allegiant flights to Las Vegas and Orlando end up canceled, Letellier said.

“The Phoenix flights were thinned out and operate maybe twice a week,” he said. “This week, there are 40 or 50 people booked on both of them. You still have a 70 percent no-show factor, but that’s getting a little bit better too. Last month, you might have 60 people booked on a flight and six get on, but those numbers are getting a little more reliable.”

Allegiant had planned to start service to Nashville this month, which might still happen, he said.

“I talked to Allegiant a week or so ago, and they were still planning to operate those flights and San Diego in June, but just because it’s on the schedule doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. A lot of it depends on when they open things up in Las Vegas and Nashville. Unless you have family, there’s no reason to go.”

Business travel also has all but stopped, although any passengers who are flying generally are doing so for business reasons, he said.

“A lot of the people who are traveling still have to go see clients face-to-face for whatever reason, but much like after Sept. 11, all those short business trips to Des Moines or Kansas City aren’t happening anymore. People drive … and businesses have gotten used to online virtual meetings, so I think it depends on the business and how critical it is that the person make the trip. I think it certainly will get better, but it’s not a floodgate. It’s going to be very incremental.”

Travelers are finding many changes in place to reflect COVID-19 concerns, including a requirement that they wear a face covering in the gate area as well as on the plane. The airport has installed sneeze guards at its counters and distance markers on the floor.

Subway has remained opened, and the other restaurants inside the airport are opening this week.

Passenger numbers slowly are increasing.

“Two weeks ago, there were 50 people a day, and now maybe there’s 100 or 120 a day flying out,” Letellier said. “There’s a far cry from 1,600 or 1,700. It’s positive. A little light down the hallway, but I foresee drastic cuts to go most of the summer, and it could be worse after that.”

That’s because the airlines are being supported federal funding through the CARES Act that requires them to maintain certain levels of operation, he said.

“That runs through August or September, and after that, it could be a blood bath,” Letellier said. “But I’m hoping by then a lot of flights will start getting full, so you’ll see a fourth flight to Minneapolis or a third flight to Denver, but it will be a gradual, incremental increase.”

Airlines are “in desperation mode,” he added, but doing their best to make travelers feel safe getting on board.

“We’re still here,” Letellier said. “If you feel comfortable traveling, we welcome you here. And if not, we hope to see you down the road sometime.”

Want to stay in the know?

Get our free business news delivered to your inbox.



Sioux Falls air travel plummets as airlines chop flights

Air travel is estimated to be down 95 percent in Sioux Falls. Here’s how the airlines are adjusting.

News Tip

Have a business news item to share with us?

Scroll to top