If not, please take 5 minutes to complete our survey about your air travel intentions. In these challenging times, we value your feedback more than ever to help us assess the current situation and plan for the future. Thank you!
NEW: Delta will add 2nd daily SLC flight in August & September!
While SUN will have fewer flights this summer, we are pleased to be able to maintain service to all of our major nonstop flight markets. Sun Valley will remain safely and easily accessible for those who wish to travel here or elsewhere from here.
The updated summer SUN flight schedule is below, some flight times have also been changed:
Alaska SEA - daily June 25-July 7; 5x week (Thurs-Mon) July 8-Sept 8; 3x week Sept 10 throughout fall
United LAX - 5x week (Wed-Sun), June 25 - Sept 7
United DEN - daily June 20-22, June 25 - Sept 7
United SFO - 2x week (Sat & Sun), July 11 - Sept 7
Delta SLC - daily flights (2x daily in August & Sept) throughout summer and fall
MINDFULNESS IN THE MOUNTAINS - WEAR A MASK, PLAY SAFE
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Masks are now required in Blaine County, and in the cities of Ketchum, Sun Valley, Hailey and Bellevue in an effort to keep everyone safe.
As you venture back to Sun Valley, we ask that you be mindful of the varying best health and safety practices and of your own actions. Now, more than ever it is up to us to maintain the delicate balance that life in the mountains so willingly provides. With that, we ask that you practice Mindfulness in the Mountains of Sun Valley, Idaho to help us protect the people and places we love.
Our Wood River Valley community has done a fantastic job of 'crushing the COVID-19 curve' and we look forward to maintaining that in the months ahead with careful adherence to health and safety guidelines and protocols, both at our businesses and among our local residents and visitors. Please help keep Sun Valley safe for all by doing your part!
SUN AIR PASSENGER SURVEYS ARE NOW ONLINE
Our SUN passenger surveys are now touch-less and online. Departing passengers are prompted to respond to the quick online survey when they login to the SUN WIFI at the airport. The information collected from both local resident and visitor air travelers is critical to help us understand travel patterns and get feedback on airline service and airport operations so we can continue to improve air travel at SUN. When you get the opportunity, please help us by participating in the survey!
TRAVEL UPDATES for AIR TRAVELERS IN THIS NEW ENVIRONMENT
IDAHO TRAVEL
Idaho remains in Phase 4 of its 4 Phase
Idaho Rebounds plan. Businesses in Blaine County are operating with enhanced safety protocols in place and there is no quarantine requirement for out-of-state travelers.
In all stages of Idaho Rebounds individuals should continue to:
Engage in physical distancing of at least six feet
Wear face coverings in public places
Stay home if sick
Practice good hand hygiene
Cover coughs and sneezes
Disinfect surfaces and objects regularly
AIRLINE TRAVEL
I
ncreased personal health safety in this era of COVID-19 is important to both airlines and air travelers. Here are some updates on what to expect when traveling by air this summer and fall.
All SUN airlines, United, Delta and Alaska, are now requiring face masks for all passengers, crew and employees. Masks now required for anyone in the SUN passenger terminal area.
TSA also now requires that all passengers in line for screening wear a mask.
Friedman Memorial Airport has implemented the following proactive measures at the airport:
Masks now required in terminal area per City of Hailey Health Order
Reduced public access to the terminal area
Social distancing signage is posted on doors and throughout the terminal
Furniture throughout the terminal has been reorganized for optimal social distancing
Hand sanitizer dispensers have been placed throughout the airport
Janitorial crews have increased the frequency of their cleaning of public use areas with electrostatic spray that is effective against the virus
Information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has been posted around the terminal (in both English and Spanish), highlighting facts, symptoms and preventive hygiene best practices as they relate to the virus
Guidance from local healthcare professionals and the local hospital has been provided to all airport tenants, including airlines and TSA, with instructions on how to respond if someone is ill or feels they may have been exposed to the virus
A big chunk of the valley's future is 'up in the air'
It's true. The future of our beautiful Wood River Valley is up in the air-and funny enough, it arrives daily at Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN). It's no secret our community's livelihood is heavily anchored in tourism, but what you may not know is that a big slice of that bounty is tied directly to aviation.
Yes. Aviation.
Whether it's a commercial airliner or private business jet, aviation is one of the biggest and most productive economic engines in the valley, powering not only much-needed jobs but many of the vital community services and amenities we take for granted.
Approximately every 10 or so years, the Idaho Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics releases its Airports Economic Impact Analysis Update, a comprehensive study that quantifies and tracks just how far aviation dollars travel within the valley-and the state.
While the COVID-19 pandemic put a dent in the global economy and tourism in the valley, we know from the 2010 IAEA study that, collectively, Idaho's 75 system airports support thousands of valuable Idaho jobs and contribute hundreds of millions of dollars in earnings to our state and local economies.
And that was more than 10 years ago.
However, second, only to Boise Airport, the state's largest commercial and joint civil-military airport, SUN is a consistent leader in economic impact among Idaho commercial service airports and tourist dollars delivered-and that means jobs for our community, both on and off the airport.
That's right, SUN, your hometown airport connects the valley to a much bigger economic picture. In fact, the airport connects us to many of the opportunities that enrich our lives.
So, while we wait for the final 2020 IAEA numbers to be officially published, I wanted to share with you some thoughts about how symbiotic SUN is with the economic recovery of the Wood River Valley.
It's no secret, economic indicators of all sorts have certainly taken a plunge since COVID-19 entered our lives. However, the financial base created by SUN in previous years has helped not only provide a small safety net for the airport but for the community as well, to weather the initial pandemic shutdown.
With solid fiscal management, support and stewardship from the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority Board, as well as our partnerships with the Fly Sun Valley Alliance and the Sun Valley Air Service Board, many jobs have been preserved and operational functions have continued during one of the most uncertain chapters in our history.
But a safety net is just that - a safety net. It is not a sustainable solution. We, at SUN, are grateful for the forthcoming assistance provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. However, this too is not a long-term solution. While studies show the travel and tourism industry will eventually recover, it will do so slowly and forever changed. And that means, now more than ever, the valley and the airport must work together to rebuild our local economy.
Air service is critical to the future valley, not only to deliver tourists and tourist dollars but to deliver all the things that support tourism in general. SUN is honored to be a critical part of the valley's past, present, and future, including its economic recovery in the wake of the worst public health crisis in more than a century.
As I think about our role within the valley and our local community in the coming months, I can't help but reflect on the words of Norm Crabtree, the former Ohio Director of Aviation, who often mused that, "the airport runway is the most important main street in any town."
We will continue to do our best to ensure SUN remains a vital component in the future economic recovery of the Wood River Valley.
Chris Pomeroy, Friedman Memorial Airport Manager
FMAA MEETING NOTICE
The next meeting of the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority:
Tuesday, August 4, 5:30pm
FMAA board meeting agendas and packets available HERE
Our SUN passenger surveys are now touch-less and online. Departing passengers are prompted to respond to the quick online survey when they login to the SUN WIFI at the airport. The information collected from both local resident and visitor air travelers is critical to help us understand travel patterns and get feedback on airline service and airport operations so we can continue to improve air travel at SUN. When you get the opportunity, please help us by participating in the survey!
FLY SUN VALLEY ALLIANCE