It's been a wild ride -- figuratively, anyway -- over the last few months for Helena's daily nonstop flight to Minneapolis-St. Paul on Northwest Airlines.

First, the plane got bigger. Then, it looked like it was going away altogether. Now, apparently thanks in large part to some well-placed connections, it's not leaving the schedule at all.

Since 2004, Helena has enjoyed once-daily non-stop service to the Northwest hub in the Twin Cities on a 50-seat regional jet, in addition to several flights daily to Salt Lake City, a Delta hub.

When those two airlines agreed to merge, questions arose about what service Helena could expect to keep.

A few months ago, Helena Regional Airport manager Ron Mercer learned that the 50-seat jet will be replaced July 1 by a 76-seater with 64 coach seats and 12 in first class.

Not only will those become the only first-class seats in and out of Helena, but the larger jet will make it easier to reach Minneapolis without refueling. Depending upon the load and weather, the 50-seat jet often stopped for fuel en route.

But the news wasn't all good. Mercer said this week he was contacted several weeks ago by a frequent traveler who said he couldn't book a nonstop flight this fall -- everything was being routed through Salt Lake.

"I talked to NWA/Delta and they advised me that the flight was being pulled due to a variety of reasons that were not related to local issues, and that the financial condition of the airline required these cuts and they were not open to reconsidering this change," Mercer said.

Enter Montana's Congressional delegation. In a press release this week, Sen. Max Baucus said he was able to get Helena's service to the Twin Cities restored after conversations with the airline's brass.

According to the press release, "Baucus' office contacted NWA staff and stressed the hardship this change would cause to Montana business and recreational travelers. Baucus' office learned (Tuesday) that NWA has officially restored the direct flight."

Sen. Jon Tester added his support to the effort in a meeting with Delta CEO Richard Anderson, according to the press release.

A Delta spokesman didn't acknowledge any plans to cancel the flight, but said the Queen City's nonstop to Minnesota appears safe for now.

"As of right now we don't have any plans to drop that flight," spokesman Trebor Banstetter said Friday. "Obviously we're in a volatile economy and nobody can say for certain what might happen, but we don't have any plans to drop that flight."

Banstetter wouldn't discuss the plane's load factor, but Mercer said the Northwest flight is typically more full than any other flight out of Helena.

"I would say that in my opinion this is one of the most important air service decisions that has been made in Helena in a long time -- it is equal to or maybe more important than the new United service (that began last year)," Mercer said. "The cancellation of the direct flight to Minneapolis would have had a very large negative impact on Helena. Now the new larger jet will have a huge positive impact n plus it is a 50 percent increase in the number of seats in this market. It is a big deal for us."

John Harrington: 447-4080 or john.harrington@helenair.com.