STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTOS BY CAROL WALLER

The first American Airlines flight from Phoenix pulled up to Friedman Memorial Airport at 8:25 p.m. Thursday night as airport workers shoveled about five inches of snow on the tarmac. And, with that the arrival of the American Eagle, SUN opened a new chapter in its history.

Passengers were met with a welcoming party that included Bigwood Bread chocolate chip cookies, candy canes and a swag bag from Sun Valley Resort that included baseball caps with the logo of the original mountain ski town, koozies from Friedman Memorial Airport, a Wood River Valley visitor’s guide and coupons from Sun Valley Resort.

American Airlines station manager Ivanna Taylor and SUN Airport Director Tim Burke cut the ribbon for the inaugural American Airlines flight from Phoenix Thursday night.

And a jam band was on hand with 11 musicians performing “Angels We Have Heard on High” on guitars, violins and keyboard.

“Having American Airlines as a major carrier serving SUN Is a big deal,” said Carol Waller, executive director for Fly Sun Valley Alliance. “We now have all the major airlines serving our little resort community. And that will make it much easier for people to travel in and out, whether a local resident, someone visiting friends or someone coming to ski.”

The first American Airlines flight from Phoenix was actually slated to be the second American Airlines flight arriving at Friedman Memorial Airport on Thursday, Dec. 18.

A new direct American Airlines flight from Chicago was supposed to have arrived at 12:36 p.m. that day. But those leaving the windy city found the city was living up to its name that day with gusts of 52 miles per hour accompanied by rainfall.

The American Airlines staff at SUN is headed by Ivanna Taylor, center.

The flight’s departure was delayed by 33 minutes and it lost time as it flew west. By the time it approached the Rockies, heavy snowfall at SUN airport forced it to be diverted to Salt Lake City until it could wing its way to Idaho. It finally touched down in Hailey Friday morning after remaining overnight in Salt Lake City.

“It was an incredibly snowy day for the first day of flight. We love it when it snows, but it can be challenging,” said Waller.

New technology installed at the airport a few years ago has enhanced reliability considerably, but it’s not 100 percent foolproof, Waller added.

“A number of flights had to be diverted to Salt Lake City that day. Then they waited for a window of weather to get back into Sun Valley,” she said.

Passengers on American Airlines’ inaugural flights from Phoenix and Chicago and Alaska Airlines’ flight from San Diego were greeted with Bigwood Bread’s chocolate chip cookies and swag bags put together by Sun Valley Resort.

One Ketchum woman was able to snag a great deal on the flight leaving Sun Valley for Chicago on Friday, paying just over $300 for her round-trip ticket. Travelers can also expect more connection options to other cities as a result of having American Airlines as an option, said Waller.

“Phoenix is a major hub for American Airlines, as is Chicago, so that means better connections elsewhere,” she said. “Phoenix has connections to 92 domestic cities and 13 international destinations. And, the United Airlines flight to Chicago that we already had and the new American Airlines flight there means that you can connect to 161 different cities in the United States and 39 cities internationally from Chicago.”

Waller and Friedman Memorial Airport Director Tim Burke and others were busy snipping ribbons this week.

“We also welcome the first Alaska San Diego flight on Friday!” Waller said. “It’s another exciting addition as we’ll have direct flights to and from San Diego three days a week all winter.”

Passengers flying to the eight destinations served by airlines out of Sun Valley’s airport can travel to 236 American destinations and 68 international destinations.

Friedman, the second busiest airport in Idaho after the Boise Airport, now has daily nonstop flights to eight cities this winter-- Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Salt Lake City.

Airlines serving Sun Valley’s gateway city are Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

Fly Sun Valley Alliance worked with Sun Valley Resort and the Friedman Memorial Airport to secure the flights. See the 2025-26 SUN winter flight schedule at https://flysunvalleyalliance.com/.