Flagstaff Pulliam Airport is spending more than $1.3 million to convince a major airline to launch direct flights to Denver or Salt Lake City, a bid to add nonstop service to either Rocky Mountain hub. The push comes as the airport just wrapped a year with passenger boardings up 5% and roughly 82,000 people flying out of Flagstaff last year.
The money combines an $800,000 federal grant with $548,500 raised locally from community members and businesses, according to Arizona's Family. The U.S. Department of Transportation selected Flagstaff Pulliam as one of just 14 airports nationwide, out of 56 applicants, to receive Small Community Air Service Development Program funding, according to the City of Flagstaff. The federal program is designed to help smaller, underserved airports incentivize airlines to expand limited service and bring down high airfares.
Flagstaff already has written letters of support in hand: United Airlines for a proposed Denver route, and SkyWest Airlines, which flies for Delta, for a proposed Salt Lake City route, according to KJZZ. Those letters came alongside in-kind and cash commitments from more than 20 community partners. Airport officials, including Claire Harper, say landing either carrier is far from guaranteed. “Recruiting an airline is very competitive,” Harper said, according to Arizona's Family.
Sweetening the Deal for Airlines
To make Flagstaff worth an airline's while, the incentive package includes guaranteed minimum revenue underwriting, a waiver of landing fees, two years of free terminal office lease space, and dedicated marketing funds to promote the new routes, the station reported.
Harper said a new Denver or Salt Lake City connection would do more than add convenience. It should also give flyers more options and, per the article, put downward pressure on prices, since new competition is known to lower air fares in a market. A direct route would also link Flagstaff, the closest commercial airport to the Grand Canyon, to two major airline hubs, opening up easier cross-country connections and drawing more tourists and tourism spending to the region, the outlet noted.
United's Denver Service
Flagstaff is seeking a new Denver connection. The airport logged more than 105,000 passengers during a full year of Denver service, evidence the route had real demand.
Currently, American Airlines is Flagstaff's only commercial carrier, with flights limited to Phoenix and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Bigger Planes, Bigger Ambitions
American has already shown some confidence in the market. In May 2026, the airline upgraded its daily Dallas-Fort Worth service to a mainline Airbus A319, swapping out regional CRJ-700 jets and doubling seat capacity on the route, the airport's first regular mainline jet service. Arizona's Family reports that the Dallas Airbus service added more flight times and seats, and airport officials hope to bring the larger aircraft back next summer.
High Elevation, High Stakes
Flagstaff Pulliam sits at 7,014 feet above sea level, according to Simple Flying.
Why the Wait Isn't Over Yet
Frustration with the current setup is already showing up in travelers' stories. Arizona's Family reported that Terri Tapper's group experienced flight delays that changed their connecting flight, leaving them set to arrive 12 hours later than planned. Tapper said more flight options in Flagstaff would help travelers avoid exactly that kind of disruption.
Before any of this becomes real, the Flagstaff City Council must formally vote to accept the federal grant. Once that happens, airport officials estimate airline route planning and scheduling will take another six to nine months, according to KJZZ, since major carriers typically lock in flight schedules that far ahead of launch. Denver and Salt Lake City are both major airline hubs, and letters of support from United and SkyWest signal real interest, but with council approval still pending, the timing of any new nonstop service remains uncertain.
