HOPING TO FILL THE CALENDAR

Published in the July 18, 2026 edition.

A long-sought goal of year-round commercial air service to the Eastern Sierra moved a step closer this week after United Airlines offered to extend its seasonal San Francisco service through the fall, provided that regional partners can raise about $200,000 to support it.

The proposal came up during informal discussion during a Mammoth Lakes Tourism (MLT) board meeting following a presentation on visitor survey data from Eastern Sierra Regional Airport in Bishop and Mammoth Yosemite Airport.

MLT Board Chair Pat Foster said United approached the region based on strong reception and use of flights out of Bishop.

“United is extremely excited about the service,” he said. “They’re thrilled with how Bishop has been performing.”

Rather than ending flights after the summer season, United has offered to continue service to and from San Francisco four days a week through the fall.

“They basically set it on our doorstep,” Foster said.

The extension would require approximately $200,000 in additional funding.

That’s a steep ask, Foster said. MLT is already “close to our cap on what we can spend” on air service incentives, leaving the organization to seek additional contributions from regional partners.

“To your point, we need some other partners to participate,” Foster said.

The Bishop City Council has already expressed support for pursuing the opportunity.

“I presented it to them Monday night,” Foster said. “All five of their board members said, ‘Yes. We don’t know that we can close the $200,000 gap ourselves, but yes, get to work and see what you can do.’”

Foster said conversations are also underway with Mono County, Inyo County and tribal partners.

“We need to make this happen,” he said. “We don’t want to turn this down. We don’t know if it’ll be offered again.”

The discussion grew out of a presentation to the board showing sol visitor demand for expanded air service.

According to survey results from Bishop Airport, nine out of 10 visitors said they would fly more often if service improved. Respondents most frequently requested more daily flights, year-round service, additional routes and airlines, more reliable schedules and improved ground transportation.

The survey also found that 55% of visitors arriving through Bishop were repeat visitors, while 73% came from outside California. Visitors stayed an average of 4.5 nights, with more than three-quarters paying for lodging and identifying Mammoth Lakes as their primary destination.

While nearly all respondents said they planned to return, the most common complaints involved travel logistics, including flight delays, missed connections, transportation from Bishop to Mammoth Lakes and transportation costs, rather than the destination itself.

MLT board member John Wentworth said the survey data gives regional leaders a stronger foundation for discussing future air service.

“I think to get to those discussions in a way that’s not chaotic, we start figuring out what those lanes are,” Wentworth said. “That’s going to be really important.”

Foster said those conversations are taking place through the Eastern Sierra Air Service Alliance, which includes officials from Mammoth Lakes Tourism, Mammoth Mountain, the Town of Mammoth Lakes, Mono County, Inyo County, the City of Bishop and Bishop Airport.

The alliance’s advisory committee works with aviation consultants to evaluate routes, monitor airline performance and negotiate future service opportunities.

“When we were trying to fund air service through Mammoth Lakes, we were going around with our hat in hand trying to collect money on a yearly basis,” said Eric Clark, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area CEO. “That’s what we’re doing now in order to successfully get year-round service.”

Clark said that while moving commercial service to Bishop created a more reliable operating environment, long-term expansion will require a stable funding source to support additional flights and related transportation services.

In other Town news … 

Warrem tapped as Finance Director

On Wednesday, the Mammoth Lakes Town Council welcomed new Finance Director Lauren Warrem, who began work on July 6, following what Town Manager Rob Patterson described as an extensive recruitment process.

Patterson said Warrem brings more than 25 years of public finance experience. Her previous roles include chief financial officer for the Mojave Water Agency, chief deputy treasurer for San Diego County, finance director for the City of Vista and the San Diego Association of Governments, as well as private-sector financial reporting and internal audit positions. She began her career as an auditor with KPMG and is both a certified public accountant and certified public finance officer.

Warrem said she was happy to be in Mammoth Lakes and looked forward to working with the Town’s finance team, adding that she believed the position would be “a great fit.” 

Gimme Shelter 

The Mammoth Lakes Tourism (MLT) Board unanimously approved spending $96,975 from its TBID fund to purchase real-time bus arrival signs for Mammoth’s bus shelters.

The project, presented by Town Facilities and Asset Manager Riley Griesenbeck, will install signs at all 12 bus shelters. The plan now includes 10 electrically powered signs and two solar-powered units, a correction from an earlier estimate of eight electric and four solar installations.

The signs are tied to the GPS tracking system already installed on Eastern Sierra Transit Authority (ESTA) buses, providing real-time arrival information. Griesenbeck said the tracking system has improved significantly following software upgrades and noted that the same data now powers transit directions in Google Maps and Apple Maps.

Two demonstration signs are currently installed – one at the Tavern Road/Berner Street stop on Old Mammoth Road and another at the Post Office on State Route 203. The permanent displays will be double-sided so both waiting passengers and passing motorists can view bus arrival times.

Griesenbeck said the LED displays are relatively small and low brightness, and that the solar-powered units are expected to perform well based on the town’s experience with other solar infrastructure. Staff will also clear snow from solar panels during routine bus stop maintenance.

If ordered promptly, the signs are expected to arrive in early September and be installed by the end of the month, making them available for riders before the winter season.