Horizon Airlines will halt flights to Butte, Mont.; is reducing service on other routes

Horizon Airlines is cutting some flights in the Pacific Northwest — including stopping all service to Butte, Mont., and dropping some Seattle-Portland flights — as it struggles with high fuel costs.

The changes in service, to take effect in late August, come as airlines nationwide battle soaring fuel prices by reducing flights and packing planes fuller.

Horizon announced Tuesday it will cut all service between Seattle and Butte starting Aug. 25. Horizon still will fly from Seattle to Helena and Bozeman in Montana, both roughly 70 miles from Butte.

"It's with great regret that we leave Butte, where we've been part of the community since 1989," said Jeff Pinneo, Horizon's president and CEO, in a statement.

The airline also will reduce daily flights between many other Pacific Northwest cities starting Aug. 25, though in some cases it will also be switching to larger planes.

Horizon said earlier this year it is phasing out its less efficient, 37-seat Q200 planes and eventually will fly only the bigger and more fuel-efficient Q400s turboprops, which seat 76 passengers.

The cuts include:

• Seattle-Portland: Five flights each way will be dropped, out of the current 31 daily flights each way.

• Seattle-Pasco: Seven daily flights between the two cities will be cut to six.

• Seattle-Redmond/Bend, Ore.: The current four flights will be reduced to three.

• Seattle-Kelowna, B.C.: Four daily flights are being cut to three.

• Seattle-Idaho Falls: Two daily round trips begin on Oct. 12 on this new route. Of the two eastbound flights, one will stop in Boise and the other in Sun Valley before continuing on to Idaho Falls. One of two westbound flights will fly nonstop to Seattle and the other will stop in Boise.

• Seattle-Sun Valley: One daily flight is being combined with the new Seattle-Idaho Falls service during the off-season starting Oct. 12.

Get more information on the flight changes at www.horizonair.com

Kristin Jackson: kjackson@seattletimes.com