MISSOULA — Last month's IT outage had minimal impacts on Missoula Montana Airport, though several airlines saw delays or cancellations.
The windstorm also caused minor damage, and one flight was diverted to Spokane and the filming of the "Yellowstone" television series was but a sideshow.
Despite the challenges, passenger numbers continued to climb in July and the airport is lobbying for more capacity at its security checkpoint, along with year-round service to Chicago.
“We've had 45-minute waits at (security) on some of our peak afternoons,” said Deputy Airport Director Tim Damrow. “The local TSA has lobbied very hard for an additional lane here at the airport. Hopefully, next year that fourth lane gets approved for us.”
The airport in June saw a 16% increase in passengers when compared to the prior year. July is one of the airport's top operational months and airport officials expect to see a similar increase when the numbers come in.
“We're expecting double-digit increases this month as well,” said airport director Brian Ellestad. “Nationwide, TSA continues to break records daily with increases around 4% to 5%. It's been a busy summer.”
The recent terminal expansion has helped the airport accommodate the increase in passengers, and the final two phases of the project are expected to open next spring.
That includes the new east concourse with three more gates, a larger baggage claim and other services.
With that project underway, the airport is looking to expand service. Late last month, it submitted a Small Community Air Service Grant in hopes of securing year-round service to Chicago. The airport should know later this fall if the grant is successful.
“I think we had a strong application. We'll see what happens,” said Ellestad.
Ellestad added that the "Yellowstone" television series spent several hours filming at the airport in mid-July. He said the shooting went well and caused little disruption.
"It was lots of filming for likely a 20-second spot," he said. "It was retake after retake."
