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The annual winter diversion busing service at Friedman Memorial Airport has been discontinued due to a significantly reduced number of flight diversions, thanks in large part to Friedman’s new instrument approach system, the airport announced on Nov. 1.
“If a carrier cannot complete a flight to SUN due to bad weather, the carrier will delay the departure of the flight or, if an aircraft is already in flight, divert to a nearby airport and wait until conditions improve, or the flight may be cancelled,” the airport stated. “In certain cases, carriers will add extra flights to re-accommodate passengers when conditions improve.
“Each weather event service recovery option, such as those already mentioned, will be decided on a case-by-case basis depending on multiple logistical factors including safety of airline passengers and flight crews...Every effort will be made by the airlines to assist passengers in the best way possible should an unexpected flight disruption occur.”
Since December 2020, the airport’s instrument landing technology—developed in partnership with SkyWest Airlines—has allowed pilots flying Embraer E175 regional jets into Hailey to make precise landings in low-visibility conditions. Similar to road maps, the system provides computer-plotted, predetermined navigation assistance from the sky to the runway.
Before 2020, SkyWest—which operates United and Delta flights at Friedman—required its E175 jets to divert to Twin Falls or Boise if cloud cover in Hailey was below 1,600 feet or visibility under three miles.
Today, United and Delta flights can continue to Hailey when clouds are as low as 343 feet above the runway and visibility is at one mile.
Alaska Airlines also operates its Seattle-to-Hailey route with E175 regional jets, which replaced its fleet of Bombardier Q400 turboprop planes in September. The airline uses different landing approach technology from SkyWest, called “Required Navigation Performance,” which debuted at Friedman in December 2016.
Airport Director Chris Pomeroy said that Alaska Airlines “has had very few winter flights disrupted by weather” since its RNP approach went online.
“For decades, airline completion rates at the airport have suffered from less than desired reliability,” Pomeroy said in a statement. “The airport board, along with SkyWest and its major airline partners, invested in the new [landing approach] technology to make air service to SUN more reliable.
“Simply put, minimizing the need for diversion busing was a goal all along with the implementation of the new approach and the airlines have now decided to discontinue the diversion busing program based on their improved reliability results.”
Busing program had operated as far back as 1997
Friedman’s diversion busing program was implemented over 25 years ago to assist passengers with weather-related flight interruptions at the airport.
The fixed-cost busing service—paid for by the Fly Sun Valley Alliance and the airport’s operational budget—ensured that buses and operators were on standby to provide ground transportation services between Hailey, Twin Falls and Boise.
Since 2018, the airport had contracted with Caldwell Transportation Company, which provided coaches and passenger vans with room for luggage from November to April every year at the cost of $180,000, or $36,000 per month. Caldwell Transportation also hired its own hosts to assist passengers in Twin Falls and Hailey.
According to unofficial flight data provided in Friedman Memorial Airport Authority Board packets, flight diversions and cancellations have plummeted dramatically since 2016.
Overall, between 2016 and 2020, Friedman experienced an average of about 19 cancellations and 159 diversions every winter.
From November 2016 to April 2017, the airport reported 27 cancellations and 250 diversions. In that same six-month period in 2017-2018, the airport reported 17 cancelations and 94 diversions. In the winter of 2018-2019, there were 18 cancellations and 186 diversions; in the winter of 2019-2020, 13 cancellations and 107 diversions.
Since 2020, however, the airport has reported just over one dozen cancellations and 30 diversions—equating to an average of about six cancellations and 15 diversions per winter season. 
Correction
The original headline that ran with this story in print and online—“Friedman suspends busing program after 25 years”—is incorrect. The airlines served by Friedman, not the airport, discontinued the busing program. The story has also been updated to reflect that the airport, not SkyWest, owns the new instrument approach procedure, though SkyWest was a key partner in developing the procedure.
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Hallelujah!!! Now kill the 1% for "Air"
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