If you’ve flown out of Boise Airport lately, there’s no denying BOI has grown.
“Growth has been the theme during my tenure as Boise Airport’s Director,” Rebecca Hupp said. “Our region has grown exponentially, and with that comes an increased demand for air service. In the last 10 years, the total number of passengers that pass through our gates has increased by a staggering 82 percent, making our terminal much busier.”
In 2023, Hupp said BOI served more than 4.7 million passengers, and recently transitioned from a small to a medium hub.
Nine airlines offer services out of Boise: Alaska, Allegiant, American, Avelo, Delta, Southwest, Spirit, Sun Country (which started in June), and United. Top destinations range from cities like Seattle, Las Vegas, and Portland (offered by multiple airlines) to newer offerings like Avelo’s nonstop flight to Sonoma, California’s wine country. Of the Top 20 destinations for BOI passengers, Hupp said only Orlando, Florida didn’t have a nonstop flight available.
“The best way for passengers to help advocate for new service is to actually fly to the destinations they want,” she said. “When passengers demonstrate demand for unserved destinations, it gets an airline’s attention. We are also very interested in understanding our business community’s needs for reoccurring travel amongst their workforces.”
The airport is working with airline partners to have them consider adding new destinations to their networks.
“We have a list of prioritized destinations our community has expressed a huge interest in, like Orlando, Boston, Washington, D.C.; New York City, and Honolulu,” Hupp said. “The airport offers incentives in the form of reimbursements on operational costs, like landing fees or terminal fees, as well as funds for carriers to put towards marketing their new route. These incentives help decrease the financial risk associated with starting a new service.”
In addition to more flight offerings, the airport itself is growing. Parking capacity has been increased near the terminal, along with an offsite economy lot (5600 W. Victory Road). More Transportation Security Administration lanes have been added to speed up wait times.
And you’ll start seeing new gate numbers on your ticket in coming years.
“We are currently midway through a multiyear capital investment project we call BOI Upgrade, which will ultimately culminate in building a new concourse with 10 additional gates,” Hupp said. “I’m proud of the way we have strategically prioritized infrastructure projects to maintain the passenger experience our region is accustomed to, along with balancing the phasing of those projects with the funds available to pay for them.”
The Concourse A project isn’t the only one in the works to update BOI’s look and feel.
“A near-term project we are excited about is the changeover of all our restaurants and gift shops in the terminal that will start happening later this fall,” Hupp said. “We are refreshing the concepts and partnering with new local businesses to help the terminal feel more like ‘Boise’ for our passengers.”
The planned offerings include national brands (Starbucks, Protein Bar & Kitchen, Pizza Hut, and Wendy’s) alongside local brands (Flying M Coffee, The STIL, Waffle Me Up, Blue Sky Bagels, Form + Function, Turas Flights and Bites by Telaya Wine Co., and a Treefort-branded restaurant). Bardenay, already at the airport, will undergo a redesign to align with its new counterparts.
“We are immensely proud of our accomplishments in creating an experiential foodservice program that embodies the unique spirit of Boise,” Delaware North Group President Scott Socha said in a release about the new food and beverage contract. “Our offerings reflect the city’s vibrant outdoors, thriving art scene, and rich culinary traditions, while catering to the diverse tastes of our travelers.”
If you’re in need of a last-minute souvenir or snack, you’ll have plenty of local and regional items to choose from at Paradies Lagardère stores and kiosks. Offerings will include Buy Idaho products and Idaho Candy Company confections.
Construction is expected to start around October 2024, with phased implementation so BOI passengers always have a few dining options while new ones are put in place.
And if you’re flying out of BOI or elsewhere, be prepared to show the proper documentation.
“Starting in May 2025, every passenger over 18 years old will need REAL ID-compliant identification to board a commercial flight,” Hupp reminded passengers. “This can be a Star Card, a current passport, or other acceptable form of identification. As of now, only about half of Idahoans have the necessary identification. Now is a great time to prepare yourself for next year’s summer travel.”
With 26 nonstop destinations, the question now becomes, where are you headed next?
When passengers demonstrate demand for unserved destinations, it gets an airline’s attention.