EBS STAFF
BOZEMAN – JetBlue has touched down in Bozeman. At approximately 2:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon, the inaugural JetBlue flight from Long Beach Airport in California landed on the runway at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, cementing a compact reached last April. The deal makes JetBlue the seventh airline to operate out of Bozeman, and makes the city JetBlue’s first destination in Montana.
The seasonal, nonstop flights connecting Long Beach and Bozeman will take flight twice each week on Thursdays and Sundays on Airbus 320 airplanes. For now, the flights will operate in winter and summer connecting Californians in greater Los Angeles and San Diego counties to Big Sky Country, and providing a gateway to southwest Montana’s hallmark destinations, including nearby Yellowstone National Park and Big Sky Resort.
“The addition of our 16th direct flight … [offers] the opportunity for our leisure travelers from Montana to visit the Long Beach, California area and California residents an opportunity for great access to our outdoors,” said Daryl Schliem, president and CEO of the Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce, in an April statement.
Flights will depart Long Beach at 10:48 a.m. and arrive Bozeman at 2:27 p.m., and depart Bozeman at 3:12 p.m. and arrive Long Beach at 4:51 p.m.
“The economy is continuing to thrive in Bozeman and Big Sky and another direct flight will be beneficial for all of the businesses in our communities,” said Hans Williamson, Yellowstone Club vice president and general manager, in the statement.
