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Air travel is at an all-time high at Great Falls International Airport, but officials say high prices are preventing the airport from reaching its passenger potential.

Most travelers agree that flying into and out of of Great Falls is expensive, and according to the Great Falls Chamber of Commerce, it is time for that to change.

Chamber CEO Steve Malicott said, "Right now, there's a lot of people who can't afford to fly out of Great Falls because of the ticket costs. If we were able to lower those costs, medium and lower income families may be able to fly out here or go to other places and take their vacations."

According to a recent study done by the Airport Board, the airport is losing an estimated 80,000 travelers each year to other markets in the state due to high prices.

Bringing in a new low-cost airline would lower competing ticket prices in Great Falls 20%, according to the study, saving travelers an estimated $7 million dollars a year on airline prices.

Malicott noted, "We've seen a huge increase in Allegiant Airlines based on their lower ticket prices, and that's encouraging."

The Chamber would like to bring in an airline that sells tickets between the range of $100 to $250.

Last year the Chamber started raising money to create an incentive package for a low-cost airline, but is still $130,000 short of their goal.

Malicott explained, "In addition the airport is providing some incentives in terms of marketing and start up costs which we believe will be an attractive incentive for them to come to Great Falls."

The Chamber has not yet decided what airline will be coming to Great Falls, but their goal is to have it ready for flights by spring of 2012.