Inyo County Board of Supervisors received an update on the 2022-23 regional winter air service last week from Mammoth Lakes Tourism Director John Urdi. Urdi’s presentation covered commercial service in Bishop as well as charter operations in Mammoth Lakes. Despite, or maybe because of, record breaking snow in the Eastern Sierra, the area’s air service worked like a charm. Following the presentation, the Board agreed to pay the $268,462 Minimum Revenue Guarantee, a mechanism to retain air service in small markets.

For those not familiar with air service covering two divergent counties, the above sentence will probably not make any sense. At best, it’s complicated. Airlines serve airports that generate enough business to cover the airline’s cost plus some profit. While both Inyo and Mono counties thrive on tourism, altitude and weather have played a significant role in where reliable air service ended up. In the simplest, bluntest terms: Inyo County relies on visitors to Mammoth Lakes to fill the planes; Mammoth Mountain and the town look to air service in the lower-lying community to increase visitors. The approved MRG payment reflects that. While elected officials have indicated a reluctance to shell out money to bring tourists to any place other than the communities they serve, the symbiotic relationship is working.

Here are the numbers Urdi reviewed for the Inyo Supervisors:

• The interview subjects included 1,243 visitors, roughly a third were locals and 18 were international travelers. The total sample size of 1,700 represented 15-percent of the total number of passengers.
• Three-fourths were from out-of-state; 72-percent were repeat flyers. Half of the interviewees were from California, Colorado, New York, Massachusetts and Texas; 40-percent carried IKON passes, covering multiple ski resorts.
• The majority traveled solo or in pairs, as opposed to families and stayed longer than the traditional visitors from Southern California.
• The majority were white millennials.

MLT’s funding is derived from a Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) assessment and pays for visitors to Mammoth Lakes, not local travel or travel to other destinations. “I can see the subsidies drop, based on the last few years,” Urdi commented; but he also does not see them go away completely. If the current points of origin for United flights fill more seats in planes, Urdi’s recommendation would be to look at additional markets to expand service. He also recommended getting jurisdictions benefiting from increased tourism involved, including Bishop and Mono County.

Inyo Supervisor Jeff Griffiths agreed that all the impacted entities needed “to be part of the discussion.” Supervisor Jen Roeser was concerned since Inyo County paid to get the airport up and running. “That’s a huge piece. We’ve done a lot,” she said.  The airport build-out also benefited from grant funding. Supervisor Matt Kingsley asked Urdi about any “overflow” to Bishop. Urdi explained that “quite a few stay in Bishop and drive up” to the ski area because it’s cheaper than Mammoth lodging.