Preparing for the 2009 Yellowstone Season: Looking at Airfares

With the current economic conditions and airlines slashing fares to attract consumers, you’d think it would be easy to find an affordable and convenient fare for a Yellowstone National Park visit.

Think again.

Despite a general decrease in the cost of airline fares in recent months, the cost of flying to one of Yellowstone’s gateway cities is still as high as it’s ever been. We did a roundup of airfares between gateway cities and large U.S. metropolitan areas (all priced using Expedia), and found to our dismay the cost of flying may be too high for many families. We picked three popular periods for visiting Yellowstone; here are the lowest airfares and airlines:

Boston to Salt Lake City
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): US Airways, 1 stop, $210.40
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): US Airways, 1 stop, $210.40
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): Jet Blue, 1 stop, $400.41

Boston to Bozeman
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): United, 1 stop, $520.40
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): United, 1 stop, $640.40
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $520.40

Boston to Cody
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $445.19
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $519.20
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $463.80

Boston to Jackson
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): American Airlines, 1 stop, $469.40
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): United, 1 stop, $469.40
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): American Airlines, 1 stop, $469.40

Boston to Billings
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): United, 1 stop, $511.90
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): United, 1 stop, $592.89
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): United, 1 stop, $518.90

Atlanta to Salt Lake City
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $371.90
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $378.40
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $378.40

Atlanta to Bozeman
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $490.40
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): Frontier Airlines, 1 stop, $490.40
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $490.40

Atlanta to Cody
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $516.81
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $583.19
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $475.81

Atlanta to Jackson
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): Frontier Airlines, 1 stop, $400.40
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): Frontier Airlines, 1 stop, $400.40
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): Frontier Airlines, 1 stop, $400.40

Atlanta to Billings
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): Frontier Airlines, 1 stop, $456.91
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): Frontier Airlines, 1 stop, $456.91
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): Frontier Airlines, 1 stop, $456.91

Seattle to Salt Lake City
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): Delta, nonstop, $235.19
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): Delta, nonstop, $235.19
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): Delta, nonstop, $291.20

Seattle to Bozeman
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): Alaskan Airlines, nonstop, $342.81
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): Alaskan Airlines, nonstop, $339.21
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): Alaskan Airlines, nonstop, $339.21

Seattle to Cody
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $493.19
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $455.79
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $433.80

Seattle to Jackson
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): United, 1 stop, $370.90
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): United, 1 stop, $341.40
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): Frontier Airlines, 1 stop, $341.40

Seattle to Billings
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): Alaskan Airlines, 1 stop, $397.69
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): Frontier Airlines, 1 stop, $392.90
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): Alaskan Airlines, nonstop, $397.69

Los Angeles to Salt Lake City
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): Delta, nonstop, $181.20
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): Delta, nonstop, $181.20
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): Delta, nonstop, $199.20

Los Angeles to Bozeman
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): United, 1 stop, $392.40
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $392.40
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): United, 1 stop, $392.40

Los Angeles to Cody
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $523.21
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): Delta or United, 1 stop, $523.21
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): United/Frontier, 1 stop, $442.91

Los Angeles to Jackson
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): United, 1 stop, $338.90
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): United, 1 stop, $320.40
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): United, 1 stop, $320.40

Los Angeles to Billings
(6/20/2009-6/24/2009): United, 1 stop, $392.90
(7/21/2009-7/25/2009): United, 1 stop, $392.90
(8/15/2009-8/19/2009): Delta, 1 stop, $438.91

These prices were researched and updated in late April, 2009, and may have changed slightly between then and now. Also, we limited our searches to nonstops or one-stops; some fares were slightly lower if you wanted to hop planes twice in a day.

Why are prices outside of Salt Lake City so high? A lack of competition. Take Bozeman’s Gallatin Field: It’s served by only six airlines (and Allegiant, a small carrier flying twice weekly to and from Las Vegas, barely counts), and none really compete because they fly only to and from hubs. In the past you had more carriers (like Big Sky Airlines) servicing the area. You also had Alaska Airlines and Northwest Airlines running more regional flights with multiple stops (the Minneapolis/Billings/Bozeman/Helena route was popular). Now you have smaller planes running from Minneapolis, Denver and Salt Lake City. We’re the most familiar with how Northwest Airlines runs its Montana flights, and there’s absolutely no incentive for Northwest to lower fares between Minneapolis and either Billings or Bozeman: even at airfares of $440, the flights are usually full most of the summer.

Going to and from Salt Lake City is cheap because it’s a big airport and a fairly large hub. But it does add a level of complexity to your trip: it’s a 351-mile, six-hour drive from Salt Lake City to the Old Faithful Inn. We truly are using the  term “gateway city” liberally here.

Our advice: fly into Salt Lake City as early in the day as you can and make the drive. Yeah, the kids may be a little bored with the scenery between Salt Lake and Idaho Falls — unless they love the sight of potatoes growing, of course — but the cost savings will far outweigh any momentary inconveniences.