Cody welcomes Chicago flights, with hopes for more
Spray from a Yellowstone Regional Airport fire truck delivers a rainbow of good luck for the 32 passengers aboard the season’s first outbound flight to Chicago O’Hare Saturday morning. Officials with Cody Yellowstone Air Improvement Resources and other dignitaries sent the United flight off with a celebration. Photo by Toby Bonner, Powell Tribune.
POWELL (WNE) — Cody leaders gathered at Yellowstone Regional Airport on Saturday to celebrate the kickoff of a summer flight to Chicago. Local officials are also hoping the weekly service to the Windy City is just a sign of bigger things to come.
The addition marks the first time since 2021 that Yellowstone Regional Airport has offered commercial service to a hub outside of Denver International Airport.
Forward Cody, airport staff and the all-volunteer Cody Yellowstone Air Improvement Resources board had to hammer out a deal with United Airlines to secure the Chicago service. That included guaranteeing United will make at least $191,798 from the 18 flights it will make to and from Cody between now and late September.
If ticket sales don’t generate that much money, CYAIR is on the hook for paying the airline the difference, with most of that “minimum revenue guarantee” coming from state and local tax dollars.
Not only will the Chicago flight’s popularity determine how much CYAIR owes United at the end of the summer season, airport boosters say strong local support can demonstrate demand and open the door for connections to other destinations in the future.
YRA continues to offer daily flights to Denver all year long, and Buck said those planes have been filling up in recent days: Friday's emptiest flight had passengers in 46 of 50 seats, he said.
Enplanements, or boardings, at YRA between January and April were up about 2% from the same period last year, according to airport data.
YRA officials have projected the Chicago service will bring about 1,000 additional passengers to Cody between Friday's first arrival and the final departure on Sept. 19.
This story was published on May 28, 2026.