Photo by Larry Pierce, Steamboat Ski Resort
This winter, new flights and expanded service from major hub airports will make Colorado Ski Country USA even more accessible to skiers and snowboarders from all over the world. New service from Chicago (ORD), New York (LGA), Los Angeles (LAX) and Las Vegas (LAS) as well as expanded service on existing routes from Chicago (ORD), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), Minneapolis – St. Paul (MSP), Newark (EWR), Phoenix (PHX), Seattle (SEA) and Washington – Dulles (IAD), will bring domestic and international guests directly into the heart of Colorado Ski Country more conveniently than ever before.
Whether a short drive from Denver, a direct flight from across the country, or a direct international flight from one of eight different countries, guests to Colorado resorts have easy, efficient, and comfortable options available to land them at their favorite Colorado resorts. In many cases, additional flight options allow guests to fly right to a resort direct from their originating city. These regional hotbeds include nonstop flights from cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Newark, New York, Phoenix, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. With eight regional airports in mountain and resort communities, direct flights can put travelers slopeside in no time.
Denver International Airport (DEN) is the largest airport in the United States and one of the busiest airports in the world, benefiting from numerous direct flights from all major cities coast-to-coast in the U.S. As one of the few U.S. airports that host non-stop flights from both Europe and Asia, DENs accessibility for skiers and snowboarders around the world is unparalleled. The airport receives visitors directly from eight different countries Australia, Canada, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Mexico, Panama, and the United Kingdom.
From DEN, travelers can reach seven resorts within a two hour drive; Eldora Mountain Resort, Loveland Ski Area, Winter Park Resort, Arapahoe Basin, Cooper, Copper Mountain, and Ski Granby Ranch. For more information, visit www.flydenver.com.
Peak winter traffic into Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) includes more than 200 direct and connecting weekly flights, including expanded service on several major carriers for the 2015/16 ski season. From the airport, it’s only six miles to Snowmass Village and three miles to Aspen.
ASE will host a significant expansion of service by American Airlines with new daily non-stop flights from Chicago/OHare along with a third daily non-stop from Dallas/Fort Worth for the holidays. New non-stop flights from Chicago will facilitate connections from markets throughout the Midwest and Northeast, including all four NYC airports. Also, a re-timed morning inbound trip from DFW will now allow ideal connections from South America throughout the winter.
Americans winter seasonal service from DFW, LAX, and ORD begins December 17, 2015 and will now feature a total of five flights daily through January 4, and four daily flights for the balance of the winter through April 4, 2016. All flights into Aspen Snowmass will be operated by Envoy Air as American Eagle with CRJ-700 aircraft, featuring a total of 65 seats including nine seats in First Class.
In addition, United has continued to expand the frequency of their nonstop flights into Aspen/Pitkin County Airport with an additional daily nonstop from Chicago/OHare for a total of up to five daily flights to ASE. United has also increased the frequency of its nonstop flights from Houston (3-4 flights daily), LAX (4-5 flights daily) and SFO (1-3 flights daily) while continuing to offer an average of 8-10 daily connecting flights from Denver. Altogether, United will be operating as many as 26 flights daily in and out of the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport this winter with flights strategically timed to offer convenient connections from virtually all markets across both their domestic and global networks.
Delta Air Lines offers daily nonstop service to Aspen/Pitkin County Airport from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL), one of the largest international air hubs in the world. The timing of Delta’s flights from Atlanta are ideal for connections both to and from South America as well as the Middle East. Delta has also increased the frequency of its service from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport from Saturday-only service to five flights per week over the holidays, and two flights per week (Wednesdays and Saturdays) for most of February and March.
Crested Butte hosts direct flights from Denver, Dallas, Houston, and Chicago/OHare. Through American and United Airlines extensive flight networks, guests can get to Crested Butte from anywhere in the world. New for the 2015-16 ski season, Alaska Airlines will operate twice-weekly direct service to Gunnison/Crested Butte from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) beginning December 16, 2015 and flies through March 26, 2016. Upon landing, shuttles are available to transport guests to resorts in the area such as Crested Butte or Monarch Mountain. Guests can also utilize rental car services from Hertz, Avis, or Budget.
United Airlines will have two nonstop round trip flights daily between Gunnison/Crested Butte Regional Airport and Denver, while American Airlines will have one nonstop round trip flight daily between Gunnison/Crested Butte Regional Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport with an additional second service in the peak holiday period. In addition, United Airlines will provide daily service from Houston International Airport and Chicago OHare International Airport. For detailed information, visit http://skicb.com/air.
Steamboats winter flight program will feature expanded nonstop air service from six of the 11 cities with flights into Steamboat/Hayden Airport (HDN) for the 2015/16 winter season. The upcoming service represents a 13 percent increase in seats flying from nonstop markets to Steamboat; the second winter season in a row of seat growth into Hayden airport.
Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), Minneapolis/ St. Paul (MSP), Newark (EWR), Seattle (SEA) and Washington – Dulles (IAD) will offer additional days of service during the winter season. United Airlines will fly into Steamboat/Hayden Airport with the most frequency this upcoming winter with four expanded flights. Nonstop service from LAX to Steamboat will fly daily while Newark and Washington-Dulles will both add Sunday flights, and Chicago upgrades to daily service for parts of the season. Alaska Airlines expands Seattle flights to four days a week with a new Tuesday departure and Delta rounds out the increased capacity with a Saturday flight offered from 2/13-3/26.
In addition to the increased service, Steamboats air program will maintain nonstop flights from top markets Atlanta (ATL), Dallas Ft. Worth (DFW), Denver (DEN), Houston (IAH), and San Francisco (SFO) providing access from 11 major airports on key U.S. carriers Alaska, American, Delta and United Airlines.
The 2015/16 winter flight schedule provides convenient connections from more than 300 airports nationwide and worldwide, keeping Steamboat one of the most easily accessed resorts in the Rocky Mountains. Airfare and packages are currently available for purchase through Steamboat at 1-800-922-2722 or http://www.steamboat.com/flights.
Tellurides 2015-16 winter flight program has expanded significantly and will feature 14 direct flights from 11 major domestic hub airports. New flights to the Telluride/Montrose (MTJ) airport include New York (LGA) on United, Los Angeles (LAX) and Chicago/OHare (ORD) on American, and Las Vegas (LAS) on Allegiant. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Phoenix (PHX) will also see major jumps in service to MTJ.
Winter 2015-16 will see a major increase in service to Telluride on American Airlines. American will now offer a daily 128-seat mainline jet and two on Saturdays through the winter season from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to MTJ. Flights from Phoenix (PHX) will more than double this winter, and American is also adding new routes from Chicago (ORD) and Los Angeles (LAX).
United Airlines will expand its existing service to Telluride/Montrose with the addition of highly sought-after flights from New York – La Guardia (LGA). MTJs core hub service will continue with multiple daily, year-round flights from Denver (DEN), daily service from Houston and Chicago, along with weekend flights from Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO).
In addition, Delta will add Wednesdays to the existing Saturday/Sunday flights from Atlanta in the second half of the season. For route maps and detailed schedule information for flights into Telluride/Montrose, please see visit www.coloradoflights.org/schedule.
On the western slope of Colorado, passengers arriving into Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT) will find themselves at Powderhorns lifts in under an hour. GJT hosts nonstop daily service from Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Houston. Sunlight Resort, nestled in nearby Glenwood Springs, is accessible via Aspen/Pitkin airport as well as Grand Junction Airport and Eagle County Airport (EGE), which will host increased daily service from Dallas and Miami on American Airlines and weekly non-stop service from Chicago on United. The Sunlight Shuttle runs to and from Glenwood Springs, as does the Roaring Fork Transit Authority. Perched on Tennessee Pass just outside of historic Leadville, Ski Cooper is a hidden Gem resort that is easy to find. Eagle County Airport is just over an hour drive from Ski Cooper.
The Durango/La Plata Airport serves as Purgatory, Wolf Creek Ski Area and Silvertons main portal for guests who are traveling by air. American Airlines offers daily nonstop jet service from the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, US Airways offers daily service from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and United offers daily service from Denver International Airport. The San Luis Valley Regional Airport, which lies closest to Wolf Creek Ski Area, hosts three daily nonstop flights from Denver International Airport.
