Kalispell Sees Gradual Rise in Flights, Hotel Stays

Ever since Montana’s stay-at-home order expired on April 24, Glacier Park International Airport Director Rob Ratkowski has noticed a gradual rise in travelers as summer approaches.

With an all-time low of 21 passengers on April 18, Ratkowski says he’s seeing an average of 76 people daily this month, with 133 on Saturday, May 16.

“Those are the largest numbers that we’ve put up since March 24,” Ratkowski said.

The airport saw a total of 1,802 passengers this April, compared to 32,775 in April of 2019.

Now that the 14-day quarantine is set to lift on June 1, Ratkowski expects the airport’s numbers to gradually increase, especially with Montana’s low coronavirus case numbers. He says the Montana National Guard also plans to leave the airport once the quarantine is lifted, where they’ve been screening passengers for coronavirus symptoms since early April.

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