 January
is Learn to Ski/Ride Month in Colorado. In a world where
time is of the essence and every moment of a vacation counts, Colorado
is an easy, effortless and, most importantly, affordable winter destination
option for skiers and snowboarders. With seamless air service, a true
skier's airport and eight regional airports, getting to Colorado
has never been easier; it's leaving that's difficult.
Colorado is located
in the heart of
the country and is approximately a three-hour flight from most major
ski markets. Denver International Airport (DEN) is the largest airport
in the state and is the primary portal for most in-bound Colorado
skiers and snowboarders. In 2006, DEN posted its third consecutive
record year by hosting 47.3 million passengers.
DEN
is the third major U.S. hub for United Airlines and supports frequent
flights from nearly every major city in the country, including Los Angeles,
San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Atlanta.
Additionally,
DEN also supports low-cost air carriers, including Frontier Airlines
and Southwest Airlines. Frontier provides low-fare air service to 58
cities, 26 states and three countries. Southwest began flying out of
DEN in January 2006 and offers non-stop service from Houston, Washington,
D.C. and Salt Lake City.
With
the increase of low cost competition, fares into DEN have dropped approximately
18 percent, making it among the most affordable airports in the country.
According to ski industry research, DEN currently offers the lowest
airfares of any winter destination in 18 of the state's core destination
markets, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Miami.
Upon
arrival, guests land at an airport designed with traveling skiers and
riders in mind. Thanks to its unique runway design and 160 pieces of
heavy snow removal equipment, DEN is the most efficient cold weather
airport in the country and often runs at 100 percent capacity even during
the most inclement winter weather. Even the $10million baggage system
was designed with skiers in mind. The state-of-the-art system is complete
with a separate ski and snowboard conveyor system that makes retrieving
ski gear quick and easy.
If
one of Colorado's eight regional mountain airports is the final
destination, skiers shortly discover unparalleled access to the pristine
slopes of Colorado. The state's regional airports offer more than
8.6 million passenger seats and more than half of Colorado's ski
areas are located within 35 miles of an airport. Although they are small
in size, Colorado's regional airports boast nearly 1,000 direct,
non-stop one-stop flights from all major ski markets across the country,
including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Phoenix
and San Francisco.
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