Tourism leaders upbeat about airport closure

Glacier Park International Airport's 9,000-foot-long primary runway is closing for 12 days next August, but tourism industry leaders aren't wringing their hands with worry.

The runway will be closed from 10 p.m. Mondays until 9 a.m. Fridays from Aug. 2 to Aug. 27, 2009. The airport's commercial carriers - Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Northwest Airlines and Horizon Air - will be able to operate four days a week.

"The reality is we are only closed 12 days out of the month," according to airport Director Cindi Martin.

"They really did their homework," Dori Muehlhof, executive director of the Flathead Convention and Visitor Bureau, said of the airport leadership. "The bulk of the arrivals during that time come Friday, Saturday and Sunday."

Muehlhof said most visitors to the Flathead Valley are fly-drive customers, which means they fly in and drive as many as two or three hours to their final destinations.

"That makes the Missoula airport a viable alternative," Muehlhof said. "Yes, there might be some business that's lost, but this needs to take place."

Glacier Park International's primary runway will undergo rehabilitation of the surface that has degraded since 1991. Montana's harsh winter climate has caused the surface to crumble faster than expected.

"The airport's primary runway is safe, but the surface needs to be rehabilitated now to keep it that way," Martin said. "It is routine maintenance, something that must be done every 18 to 20 years to maintain the integrity of the runway landing surface."

The asphalt project is an inconvenience but is minor compared to some airports that must do major runway reconstruction. An airport in Idaho recently had to shut down for a month.

Martin said that though August is a busy month for tourism, it's also the best time to lay new asphalt because of higher temperatures and better weather conditions.

Missoula's airport had a similar, shorter closure in late August 2007, and the business community didn't seem to have any major complaints.

"What helped our community was that we knew about it well in advance, and we marketed around the closure dates far enough ahead of time that businesses planned around it," said Kim Latrielle, president of the Missoula Chamber of Commerce. "There was no big outcry from businesses."

Because of the advance notice from Glacier - and because Martin recently met with tourism industry leaders and business owners - businesses will be able to market and plan around the closure.

The dates of Glacier Park International's closure have been blacked out by the airlines, which means customers won't have to be rebooked. When a customer books a flight online, the closure dates will show that they are sold out rather than say the airport is closed.

"There won't be a red flag to the customer," Muehlhof said.

Michelle Upwall, manager of Kalispell's AAA office, said that for people traveling independently, the impact will be minimal. People traveling in groups or for date-specific functions will have to plan around the closure.

Because flights may be more fully booked, ticket prices may rise.

Upwall said that some rental car companies are offering customers the chance to rent a car in Missoula and drive to Kalispell without charging a drop-off fee, and AAA is putting together an informational packet of things to do along Flathead Lake for those making the drive.

Because of the weekends-only flight schedule, Upwall said that people on vacation may end up staying a day or two longer, which would be a boost for hotels and restaurants.

Historically, tourism travel drops off in mid-August. A July closure would have made a bigger impact on tourism revenue.

Martin said that Delta, Northwest and Horizon averaged about 11 flights per day in August 2008, and the carriers may increase weekend service to make up for the lost flights during the week next August.

The crosswind runway, which runs perpendicular to the main runway, won't be affected by the closure except for a couple of days when crews are working on the intersection. Smaller airplanes that use the crosswind runway will be able to operate normally.

Reporter Michael Richeson may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at mricheson@dailyinterlake.com