Turk File

Lafayette adds daily flights to Denver

by Leslie Turk

In August United Airlines will begin offering daily nonstop flights to Denver, a big plus for oil companies working in Western and Midwestern states.

Beginning Aug. 19, United Airlines will begin offering daily nonstop service between Lafayette Regional Airport and Denver International Airport.

United Airlines officials say there will be one arriving flight and one departure each day, seven days a week.

Flights from Denver will leave at 9:55 a.m. (MST) and arrive in Lafayette at 1:39 p.m. (CST). Flights from Lafayette to Denver will depart at 4 p.m. (CST) and arrive in Denver at 5:50 p.m. (MST). The new destination creates a fourth hub out of Lafayette, which currently has direct air service to major international hub airports in Atlanta, Dallas and Houston.
 
"Our data showed there is enough demand from business and leisure travelers to Denver to warrant adding the new destination, and we are pleased that United Airlines has agreed and added a 50-seat regional jet for daily service between Lafayette and Denver. Now it will be up to the public and its response to this new service," says Lafayette Airport Commission Chairman Matt Cruse in a prepared release.
 
For the past several years, Denver has consistently been one of the top five destinations for travelers flying out of Lafayette. Denver is the 15th busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic and 5th in the world in terms of aircraft movements.

"The oil and gas industry centered here provides services all over the world, and in recent years there has been increased natural gas activity in many Western and Midwestern states," Cruse says. "That makes Denver an ideal hub to connect to other places in the region and even to the West Coast. From a leisure standpoint, Denver is the gateway to the Rocky Mountains, and many from Acadiana choose to vacation in that part of the country. Denver is also a convenient hub for travel to much of the Western part of the country."