With its sparse population and massive size, Wyoming, America's least populous state, has a fascinating aviation landscape. With nine airports seeing scheduled commercial service, there are far more ways to fly in and out of the Cowboy State than you might expect.
A majority of the airports in Wyoming that see commercial service can attribute such flights to the Essential Air Service, a government program to subsidize what would otherwise be unprofitable regional routes. In this article, we'll take a deep dive into each of the state's commercial airports and explore which airlines are providing commercial service.
The largest by a lot
Jackson Hole International Airport (JAC) is, by and large, the state's largest commercial airport, and the only one that sees service not supported by the Essential Air Service program. Seeing over 380,000 passengers in 2019, JAC is served by four airlines with year-round service to four different destinations. Notably, however, the airport does lack a direct connection to the nation's capital, Washington, DC.
Seasonal service to the ski resort town, however, is even more expansive, with winter service provided to an additional nine destinations. While the airport primarily provides service to nearby Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, JAC also serves as the primary gateway to Grand Teton National Park and a southern port of entry for those coming to visit Yellowstone National Park.
The only other served by more than one airline
Casper-Natrona County International Airport (CPR) is the only other airport in the state of Wyoming to see commercial service to two different destinations. The airport is connected to Denver by United Express and to Salt Lake City by Delta Connection and sees nearly 87,000 passengers each year.
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The others
The remaining seven commercial airports in Wyoming only see scheduled passenger service from United Express, all of which are connected only to Denver. These airports are Cheyenne Regional Airport (CYS), Yellowstone Regional Airport (COD), Northeast Wyoming Regional Airport (GCC), Laramie Regional Airport (LAR), Central Wyoming Regional Airport (RIW), Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport (RWS) and Sheridan County Airport (SHR).
The demand for flights to these airports is relatively thin, with Yellowstone Regional Airport, despite servicing the nearby national park, only seeing around 40,000 passengers annually. In fact, many of these smaller airports serve America's natural and cultural heritage sites.
Northeast Wyoming Regional Airport, for example, which sits just five miles outside the town of Gillette, is one of the closest airports to Devils Tower National Monument, one of the nation's most recognizable geologic sites. Furthermore, sites such as Fort Laramie National Historic Site, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, and Scottsbluff National Monument are both close to Laramie Regional Airport and Cheyenne Regional Airport.
Key takeaways
Unsurprisingly given its sparse population, the Cowboy State has a fascinating yet small commercial aviation landscape, but lacks serious connectivity. Under some circumstances, residents may find it easier to simply drive to larger airports in nearby states. For example, most who live in the state's Southeastern Laramie, Platte, and Goshen counties will often make the roughly three-hour trek to Denver International Airport (DEN) in nearby Colorado.
Across the board, commercial air services in Wyoming are few and far between outside the popular tourist destination of Jackson Hole. With a population that isn't growing all that rapidly, it is unlikely that the state's aviation landscape will change significantly anytime soon.