ASPEN, Colo.—Passengers arriving on commercial aircraft at the Aspen/Pitkin County airport have the deepest pockets in Colorado.

A new study called the 2008 Colorado Airports Impact Study found that passengers spend an average $2,652, tops in Colorado. Second-highest were passengers into Eagle County Regional Airport, with $2,070 per passenger. The latter airport serves primarily Vail and Beaver Creek but, to a lesser extent, the Aspen-area resorts.

Bill Tomcich, president of Stay Aspen Snowmass, a central reservations group, said 80 percent of winter visitors to Aspen fly. The airport “is so critical to our economy,” he said.

The study also found that, while Eagle County handles more passengers, Aspen’s has more economic clout. It accounts for 11,950 jobs in Colorado, compared to 10,467 jobs initiated by Eagle County Regional.

With the economy struggling and oil prices rising, does the future look equally prosperous? Aviation consultant Mike Boyd told The Aspen Times that there won’t be big changes, but discretionary spending will slow. Tomcich noted the airlines are in what he, and most businesses, would call a crisis, since many are on the brink of bankruptcy.

Find out more about the Pitkin County Airport at Stay Aspen Snowmass.

Below is an interesting article by Chris Walsh that appeared in yesterday’s Rocky Mountain News. Good news for Aspen, based on a Rocky Mountain News online poll,  Coloradans claim Frontier is their favorite airline. Less encouraging, is the follow-up article that appeared today about Frontier’s $16.5 million loss during three weeks in April.

Which airline would you prefer to fly?

Orbits could change at DIA :’In five years the airline structure servicing DIA is going to look different’ – By Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News – Tuesday, May 27, 2008

A three-way war involving Denver International Airport’s largest airlines is entering a phase of uncertainty amid rising fuel prices, promising to accelerate a shift in the balance of power at DIA.

The two biggest carriers, United Airlines and Frontier Airlines, face severe financial challenges that threaten their very survival:

For more, click here

Frontier loses $16.5 million in three weeks – By Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News -Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Frontier Airlines lost $16.5 million during a three-week period in April and saw its cash balance dip to $108.3 million, according to documents filed Wednesday with a U.S. bankruptcy court.

The carrier’s net loss during the period amounted to more than half its deficit for the last three months of 2007, which at the time ranked as the largest in its history. Denver-based Frontier did not issue results for January through March of this year because it filed for bankruptcy less than two weeks after the quarter ended.

For more on this story go to the Rocky Mountain News

Find out more about the industry, visit the Fly Guy at Stay Aspen Snowmass

Only Nonstop Service from the East Will Operate Daily

ATLANTA, May 27, 2008- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) will offer customers more choices for a ski vacation beginning Dec. 20 with the return of expanded seasonal service between the slopes of Aspen/Snowmass, Colo. and the world’s largest airline hub in Atlanta.

Delta Connection carrier SkyWest Airlines will operate the new flights from the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport using the Bombardier CRJ 700 aircraft. Delta is the only airline to offer nonstop service from the East and provides convenient connecting service from around the world to Aspen/Snowmass.

Continue reading about Delta’s daily non-stop flights from the East Coast and book your flight with www.stayaspensowmass.com

ASPEN — All three airlines that fly into Aspen are facing dire financial troubles, and it’s anyone’s guess if the local aviation market will crash and burn.

But even with Frontier Airlines’ recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, Delta’s first-quarter loss of $247 million and United Airlines’ $537-million first-quarter loss, industry observers are optimistic that Aspen will remain a strong destination for the airline carriers.

And as long as fuel costs continue to rise and a national recession lingers, the aviation industry will remain in turbulence.

“It’s airline carnage. … All three of these airlines are in trouble, and we are in for a period of turmoil,” said Bill Tomcich, president and CEO of Stay Aspen Snowmass and the local liaison to the airline industry. “But Aspen is in one of the most enviable positions.”

The driving force is that there is more competition in the Aspen market than there has been for more than a decade. With Frontier’s inaugural flight scheduled for Saturday morning and then offering up to five daily flights to Denver, travelers have options that should keep fares competitive.

But airline tickets in and out of Aspen are still more expensive than most places in the country, which is a blessing in disguise, according to Mike Boyd, an aviation consultant in Evergreen, Colo.

United Airlines parent UAL Corp. said Tuesday that it’s cutting flights and 1,100 jobs to combat soaring fuel costs and recoup its losses. But it’s unlikely that flights will be cut in and out of Aspen.

Business here appears to be extremely lucrative for the short-haul carriers who likely will depend on this market as a steady revenue stream.

“It won’t be Aspen … your fares are too high,” Boyd said, adding that prices can’t get much higher here. “Markets like Aspen can only help the situation. You’re kind of bulletproof from this.

“Believe me, you’re in the minority.”

to read more, click here

A traveler pulls her luggage through the United Airlines terminal at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago in December. United recently anounced a policy of charging many $25 for checking a second piece of luggage. BLOOMBERG NEW

Last week’s announcement by United Airlines that it will begin charging an additional $25 to check a second bag on its flights is bad news for tourists and conventioneers who visit Las Vegas.

Not only will United’s new policy affect a customer base that local tourism officials are trying to expand, but it appears that the nickel-and-diming United is imposing on its customers may spread faster than you can say airborne virus.

For more information, on what to do with your luggage, visit my website www.stayaspensnowmass.com

Click here to continue reading…

Will United Airlines’ price gouging ever stop?

Apparently not. The Chicago-based carrier’s latest cash grab will hit passengers who check a second piece of luggage. The price tag: $25. That means a two-way flight with at least one extra bag will cost fliers another 50 bucks.

United will pardon frequent fliers — those who have Premier status or higher in United’s Mileage Plus program — from the surcharge. They happen to be the same type of fliers who can afford this spike.

But for the leisure/economy travelers who like to bring their outdoor gear — think a second bag with skis, golf clubs or a fishing rod — flying in and out of Aspen is already expensive enough.

Not surprising, United said the reason for the fee is to keep fares competitive. It also added that the rule change will generate another $100 million annually in revenues and cost savings (fewer bags to handle and therefore lighter planes).

United can call this new “fee” whatever it wants, but it’s a fare hike.

Even the perpetually positive Bill Tomcich, the president of central reservations agency Stay Aspen Snowmass, deemed it as such. Tomcich, whose job includes negotiating with commercial airlines and maintaining a positive relationship with them, could not bite his tongue on this one.

“This, in disguise, is the largest single fare increase I have ever witnessed in the 17 years I have worked in this industry,” he told The Aspen Times this week. “This is the first time that a major carrier has done this.”

United’s move — which takes effect for flights after May 5 — will be felt in fliers’ pocketbooks all over the country, but especially in resorts, where leisure travelers tend to bring extra gear. As the anchor airline of both Denver International Airport and Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, United has a virtual monopoly in Colorado, though it has seen challenges from both Frontier and Southwest, neither of which serve Aspen.

There’s still hope that Frontier will penetrate the Aspen skies, but nothing has happened yet.

In the meantime, air travel to Aspen will get more expensive very soon. And with such a limited choice of airlines to fly here, the only way some travelers can avoid the fare increase is to choose another resort. This could be a deal breaker for many travelers, and that could hurt Aspen.

What are your thoughts on the $25.00 Fee? Are you still going to take your skis on vacation? Let the Fly Guy know your thoughts, comments or just ask him wha this trick would be to avoid the fee…

Visit his website: www.stayaspensnowmass.com