Delta Returns Commercial Air Service to Oregon’s Capitol City

Salem also hopes to land Las Vegas based Allegiant Airlines within the next few years.

Two Salem pilots watch as a Delta Air Lines connection carrier SkyWest Airlines CRJ-200 prepares for takeoff at Salem's McNary Field. Photo: Kevin Hays

(SALEM, Ore. ) - Hundreds of Salem-area residents cheered Thursday as the city’s first commercial passenger flight touched down at McNary Field in over a decade.

Salem Mayor Janet Taylor said Delta’s arrival in Salem will put the city on the map as an alternative destination to cities such as Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco.

Our downtown is growing, we have a wonderful Conference Center, and there are more and more attractions opening in and around the Salem-area everyday that will benefit from this new service the Mayor said.

The search to find a carrier for Salem began six years ago.

In 2004, the city received at $500,000 small community air service grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation which guarantees funding for the first year of commercial air service operations.

According to the Salem Chamber of Commerce there are over half a million residents that live closer to the Salem airport than the Eugene or Portland airports.

The Salem Chamber of Commerce got local business to make over a half a million dollars in pledges for a travel bank, which is used as a prepaid bank for airline tickets.

The city also spent over one million to get McNary Field's terminal ready for commercial airline operations.

Delta Air Lines connection carrier SkyWest Airlines assigned a CRJ-200 to the Salem-Salt Lake City route which can accommodate up to 50 passengers.

Salem Airport Manager Alan Alexander said that the city is still in talks with Allegiant Airlines based in Las Vegas for service to the capitol city.

Alexander said some runway upgrades and other issues will need to be taken care of first, but he hopes to land the carrier within the next two to three years.

Some critics said that the plane coming into Salem was "barely" full, while Salem's first flight out had some ten seats open.

Mike Johnson, who watched the CRJ-200 takeoff from McNary Field at the Flight Deck Restaurant said while he loves the fact Delta gambled on Salem, he hopes this isn't another Horizon in two years.

Horizon Air was the last scheduled commercial airline to fly into Salem.

They left in 1993 due to low ticket sales.

Salt Lake City, Utah (SLC) Salem, Oregon (SLE) Schedule:

• Flight 2040 departs SLC at 11:30 AM. Arrives SLE at 12:25 PM.
• Flight 2042 departs SLC at 9:05 PM. Arrives SLE at 10:00 PM.
• Flight 2041 departs SLE at 1:15 PM. Arrives SLC at 4:00 PM.
• Flight 2043 departs SLE at 6:35 AM. Arrives SLC at 9:15 AM.