The FFA has approved Uintah County’s request to contract with SkyWest for Essential Air Service at the Vernal Regional Airport. The order issued by the Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C. states that SkyWest Airlines is to provide subsidized service at Moab and Vernal with 50-seat CRJ200 regional jet aircrafts for a period of two years
starting on March 1st, 2018
. SkyWest will be replacing Boutique Air as the carrier in Vernal. Boutique has provided the air service in Vernal and Moab since March 1st, 2016 with service split between Denver and Salt Lake City. With their 2 year contract approaching its end in 2018, the Department of Transportation requested proposals from carriers interested in the Moab and Vernal contracts in June and SkyWest and Boutique both submitted proposals. Area officials held meetings allowing both airline companies to present their bids as they considered which service they believed would be better for the area in the long run. In early August, the Uintah County Commission submitted a letter officially requesting that SkyWest Airlines be awarded the bid.
