Say goodbye to the direct flight from Casper to Chicago - at least for a while.

A trial run of the United Airlines flight didn't produce the revenue expected, according to Casper Area Economic Development Alliance President Robert Barnes, and United isn't guaranteeing that it will continue the flight at a later date.

The direct route was offered at Casper/Natrona County International Airport beginning in June and ending in late October. But the flights were only about 50 percent full, Barnes said, not nearly full enough for United to make a profit.

In March, the Wyoming Aeronautics Commission, the city of Casper, Natrona County, the Casper Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and CAEDA each signed a revenue guarantee agreeing they'd pay if the flight didn't make money for United.

Well - it didn't. And now, Barnes is collecting on behalf of all involved in the agreement.

Barnes met with the Natrona County Board of Commissioners Tuesday to let them know of the flight's failure and to warn them that he'd send an invoice for $20,000 - the amount they agreed to pay.

"We owe the money. We said we were gonna pay it. I'm disappointed it worked out like that," said Commission Chairman Rob Hendry.

The revenue guarantee was a $400,000 agreement in total. The Aeronautics Commission will pay $320,000 - or 80 percent - of the guarantee. CAEDA will pay $30,000, or 7.5 percent, the city of Casper and Natrona County are responsible for $20,000, or 5 percent, each and the Convention and Visitors Bureau will pay $10,000, or 2.5 percent.

Commissioners expressed disappointment that the flight didn't work out, particularly, Hendry said, because for much of the time the flight was offered, it was cheaper to fly first to Denver, then to Chicago, rather than counting on the direct flight.

"We got caught up in fuel prices and our timing was terrible, but I didn't feel like they wanted it to work bad enough," Hendry said. "People will pay a little more for the convenience of getting on here, but not that much more."

Barnes said he doesn't know the probability of the flight returning in the future.

"They [United] have to look at their own business model and their own allocation of resources - pilots, planes, gas. They have to fly the flights that are most profitable to them, and they simply won't commit to it now," he said. "With the financial situation the airlines are facing, it's a tough business, so they're not willing to make a commitment."

The airport and number of flights available is important to businesses in central Wyoming, he added.

"Knowing that the airport is an important economic property with an economic impact, we'll continue to have an interest," he said.

Contact reporter Megan Lee at (307) 266-0616 or megan.lee@trib.com

News Tracker

Last we knew: United Airlines introduced a trial flight direct from Casper to Chicago. Several state, county and city entities entered into a revenue guarantee agreement to obtain the flight.

The latest: The flight didn't produce expected results. County entities will now pay a percentage of the revenue guarantee.

What's next: The future of the direct flight is unsure, but it likely will not become a regular flight.