POCATELLO — How long will the Gate City continue to subsidize the cost of operating two daily flights to Salt Lake City if Delta Airlines is falling short of its revenue target by more than $215,000 each month?
That’s one question that government watchdog group P.A.G.E., or Pocatello for Accountable Governmental Entities, would like to have answered after recently sharing with the Idaho State Journal several financial documents that shed light on the current status of a minimum revenue guarantee between Pocatello and Delta Airlines.
P.A.G.E. obtained the documents after filing several record requests with the city and says the data contained within the financial reports is concerning, particularly “that the general public has not been kept up to date with relevant information that is within the publics’ right-to-know,” says P.A.G.E. spokesperson and co-founder Heather Disselkoen.
This past August, the Pocatello City Council unanimously voted to approve a minimum revenue guarantee with Delta Airlines of up to $500,000 to maintain twice daily service between Pocatello and Salt Lake City between September 5, 2023, and March 5, 2024. Since March 2022, Pocatello has paid about $1.8 million in subsidies to maintain commercial flights at its airport.