After a few years of waiting for a third flight, an extra 30 minutes isn't too much to ask.
With more than 3 inches of snow covering the ground and overcast skies, the third flight arrived a half hour late to its own dedication Monday afternoon.
The packed house at the Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport waited patiently for the plane to arrive.
The poor weather conditions offered Chuck Howell, chief executive officer of Great Lakes Airlines, which operates the planes out of Dickinson, the perfect chance to highlight the significance of the third flight.
"When something happens during the day, not only from that operational standpoint, but for the flying public that is trying to get in and out...having three flights a day gives a lot more flexibility," Howell said.
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Howell said the additional flight is important not only to this community but also for the people who come from around the world to Dickinson.
"Your airport really is your front door to economic development," Howell said. "The runway really is your most important highway."
He said 50 percent of the people who fly out of small communities do not originate from that community.
"When people say, 'gee, golly, whiz, what's the big deal about a third flight?'" Howell said. "But, to those of you that fly in and out of here, it is a big deal."
Dickinson Airport Authority Board Chair Tom Reichert took time to thank the airline and North Dakota's Congressional delegation for their roles in getting the additional flight.
"(The airline) came up with a very attractive bid, and they basically did not give the government an opportunity to say no," Reichert said. "We also want to thank our Congressional delegation...they worked very hard for us in Washington, (D.C.) to secure this third flight."
Howell also took time to show gratitude to the airport authority members for their role, as well.
He said the road to the third flight was paved two to three years ago when the Dickinson airport applied for a small community air service grant to temporarily fund a third flight. Howell said that grant was a test bid to show an additional flight would be viable in Dickinson.
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"Today is the culmination of much of the hard work that was done two to three years ago to show that the attributes of having a third flight are very, very important to the community," Howell said.
With the third flight out of the way, both Howell and Reichert made reference to the work that needed to be done to get a fourth flight.
"I'm very optimistic; I really think that we could have a fourth flight because the availability of flights is just going to have a great more demand, and I think it's going to continue to grow," Reichert said.
