American Airlines will fly to Bismarck beginning in October.
The carrier will have one round trip a day between Bismarck and Dallas-Fort Worth, and one round trip daily between Bismarck and Chicago. American will use 50 passenger regional jets. Right now, Bismarck is served by Delta, United, Frontier and Allegiant.
"Can you imagine all of these destinations?" said Bismarck Mayor John Warford. "Can you imagine how this will impact positively our position as an energy capitol? Much of the energy travel is between Bismarck and Dallas-Ft. Worth."
"This really does effectively position us as a business destination for companies looking to do business in North Dakota, and also for businesses that have locations around America," said Bismarck-Mandan Chamber president Kelvin Hullet. "In particular to the south, we have a real interest in the energy industry, and making sure we provide service to them."
Hullet and others say this will also be an incentive to attract new workers to the area.
"We also rely on some of the city's broader services to help us be able to attract and retain talent," said Ken Rutter of Basin Electric Power Cooperative. "We look forward to this as one of the legs of the stool to help us continue to attract talented employees to Bismarck."
The city received a $500,000 grant from the federal Department of Transportation as an incentive to a new air carrier. Hullet says private businesses kicked in another $500,000 to help make sure American would come to Bismarck.
