Air service to Denver starts Sunday

Denver will be just an hour away, when Great Lakes Aviation begins service Sunday at McCook Regional Airport.

Great Lakes will offer approximately three flights daily and two on the weekends to Denver International Airport.

Of the three flights daily, two are non-stop and the 10:11 a.m. flight stops in Kearney before continuing to Denver. Round-trip tickets will cost about $259, according to the Great Lakes Airlines passenger site at www.flygreat lakes.com

Great Lakes is looking forward to expanding their Nebraska service to include McCook, said Chuck Howell, Chief Executive officer for Great Lakes.

"We are excited for the opportunity to return our convenient and reliable service to the area," he said in a press release.

Great Lakes was the essential air service carrier for McCook until 2006, when the city switched to Air MidWest/Mesa for air service.

Air MidWest/Mesa terminated its contract with McCook and Grand Island in January, citing financial losses. McCook officials recommended Great Lakes as the replacement and the U.S. Department of Transportation agreed, giving Great Lakes the two-year contract for $1.5 million

"We're excited to be going back to Denver," said McCook City Manager Kurt Fritsch. "We'll see how it works out."

Great Lakes provides service to 44 airports in 12 states using a fleet of 19-passenger Embraer EMB-120 Brasilas and the Raytheon Beech 1900D. A total of 230 flights are scheduled at five airport hubs, including 134 flights at Denver.

Tickets for Great Lakes Airlines can be purchased at its Web site at www.flygreatlakes.com, the Great Lakes reservation center at 1-800-554-5411 or your local travel agent.

McCook flight schedule:

McCook to Denver

Denver to McCook