Boardings down slightly for March; quarter still higher

McCOOK, Neb. — Passenger enplanements dropped slightly in March for Boutique Air at the McCook airport, but numbers are still high for first quarter totals.

A total of 196 passengers embarked at the McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport in March for Boutique Air, compared to 221 last year, a decrease of 11.31 percent.

But an 10.62 increase was still seen in the first quarter (January-March) totals, with 573 enplanements in 2018 compared to 518 in 2017.

Flying to Denver twice a day from McCook, a total of six flights were canceled by Boutique in March, with one due to weather and five from other factors.

Boutique Air became the federally subsidized essential airline service at the airport in June 2016, replacing Great Lakes Airline. It uses a nine-passenger Pilatus PC-12 aircraft and provides non-stop, round-trip flights to Denver International Airport. Prices for one-way flights range from $49-$99, depending on the flight.