Delta Air Lines jet service from Redmond Airport to Salt Lake City appears a step closer to starting on March 15. Pledges of $472,000 have come from 83 Central Oregon businesses toward purchase of future airline tickets in the effort to lure the carrier here.

Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) must raise $500,000 in pledges to an ”airline travel bank,” money committed to future tickets for the service. Meeting that goal will allow EDCO to proceed with a contract with the carrier.

”The travel bank is the last piece of the puzzle, but we don’t assume anything in this business – we’re hopeful,” said Roger Lee, executive director of EDCO.

The proposal to Delta from EDCO and Redmond Airport also includes a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation and $450,000 in marketing funds from the Central Oregon Visitors Association, Central Oregon resorts and the Salt Lake City International Airport, according to EDCO.

Flights from Redmond to Salt Lake City would take 75 minutes.

”You can be one-third of the way across the nation in the time it would take for you to get to a connecting flight in Portland, Seattle or San Francisco before you go east,” Boggs said.

The service would be aboard a CRJ-200 jet that can carry 50 passengers and cruise 528 mph, faster than the turboprop planes that now serve points west.

The response from Central Oregon businesses for the service is unprecedented and the prospect of the new service is good, said Mike Boggs, manager of airport business services for Mead and Hunt, an airline consulting firm in Eugene.

”It’s a volatile industry, but all indications are that Delta is very sincere about providing this service,” he said. ”(Delta) analyzed the market, we analyzed the market – and the community response – it has been amazing what they’ve done in such a short period of time.”

On Nov. 2, EDCO said it was starting to gather travel bank pledges, and it started holding meetings around Central Oregon on Nov. 15. Several more meetings are set for today and Friday in Bend and Madras.

”I’ve done lots of travel banks across the country and in Canada, and this came together more quickly than in any other community, which demonstrates the importance of this air service and the energy in the community for economic development efforts,” Boggs said.

EDCO hopes to reach the $500,000 pledge goal by Friday and pursue the contract with Delta.

It will then begin collecting deposits for the pledge amounts through Jan. 3.

If EDCO does not reach the goal by Friday it can continue accept deposits, Lee added.

The proposed service, two daily departures on flights operated by Sky West Airlines, would be Central Oregon’s only air service east and would provide a link to 64 other U.S. cities, in addition to connecting flights with other airlines.

The increased competition among carriers serving Redmond is expected to lower air ticket prices there, Lee said.

It is also considered to be key to boosting business in Central Oregon.

”Usually economic development analyses are based on number of jobs produced, but that is just a small part of the benefit to air service,” Boggs said. ”It’s part of the economic foundation. Businesses look for communities with a reasonable tax base, reasonably priced utilities and transportation infrastructure. Air service is number three to five on their wish lists.”

So far, the biggest pledge to the travel bank was from Accent Optical, a high-tech firm in Bend that pledged $50,000. Other major pledges came from Edge Wireless, Eagle Crest Resort, Mount Bachelor and Sunriver Resort, according to EDCO.

More information about the travel bank and a schedule of EDCO meetings is available online at www.edforco.org and by phone at 541-388-3236.

Cathy Carroll can be reached at 541-383-0304 or at ccarroll@bendbulletin.com.