Sometimes I feel like I’m the only local columnist supporting a new and improved airport in Aspen, one we can all be proud of and not constantly complain about like armchair aviation experts. Why is that? I feel like we have a golden opportunity to do something award-winning and incredible with our future airport in Aspen. Let’s take full advantage of this day!
That’s just one of the reasons I will vote for the Federal Aviation Administration to allocate funds for a state-of-the-art airport terminal with a wider, safer runway. I’ve had two opportunities to sign the petition from Aspen Fly Right and Citizens Against Bigger Planes, and I refused both times.
The latest scaremongering against downvalley airports is somewhat amusing. I would imagine the good folks of the Roaring Fork Valley would rather fly out of Aspen than drive to Eagle or Denver. I certainly would. I have vowed never to drive to Denver to catch a plane again. I have been flying direct flights to and from Aspen for years. Recently I rode my e-bike to the airport and flew direct to LAX for $240 round trip.
During my time in Aspen, I have seen transformative growth in all areas of the city – the roads, the population, the schools, the homes, the hospital, the ski areas, and the airport. The only thing that has remained pretty much the same is me. Frankly, I’m glad to have lived through this boom era and witnessed the oft-lamented metamorphosis. The recent bombshell announcement of the Embraer E-175 being used in ASE, with the same seating as the CRJ-700 (the CJ-7 Jeep of airplanes) and a slightly larger wingspan, makes me curious and hopeful.
When our family moved here from California (please blame us for ruining Aspen), Aspen was served by Rocky Mountain Airways (with a Dash-7) and Aspen Airways (with a Convair turboprop). The planes glided right through the Hunter Creek Valley, crossed over town, and landed to the west. Passengers often erupted in thunderous applause when they landed in Aspen. Barf bags were a coveted commodity. I remember one summer vacation on Nantucket as a child. I was building a sandcastle when I heard a strangely familiar roar. I looked up and saw an Aspen Airways plane, apparently on summer vacation at the Cape.
A Delta Embraer E-175 performs a test flight to and from Sardy Field in Aspen on November 3, 2020.
Fast forward to the present. A whole lot of people who live here hate Aspen, the city and county government, second home owners, rich people, tourists and private jets. I don’t. I know my place in this equation. The problem is that no one wants to admit his or her role in creating and maintaining his or her perceived Frankenstein. The airport problem is the latest bogeyman, stuffed with excuses.
Tourism in Aspen has funded my employees’ housing. I’m super grateful for the tourists. I like the tourism model. It reminds me of the old Mexican restaurant La Cocina. Their prototype was based on high sales. That’s how I see tourism here. Come to Aspen, get blown away, leave and come back next year. At some point the focus became come to Aspen, get blown away and then buy a house here. An expanded, modernized airport supports La Cocina’s tourism model. I can already hear Nick saying, “Your table will be ready in 10 minutes!”
I envision an airport with newer, more efficient planes. The terminal I envision is designed by a local firm and has two floors and bridges that connect planes during arrivals and departures, when it snows or rains, and when the threat of lightning prevents passengers from disembarking.
I envision an upstairs waiting area with 360-degree floor-to-ceiling windows and west-facing lounge chairs so passengers can watch the flights taking off and landing. I envision a robust transit center that gives passengers multiple, clear options—including the free bus to get to their destination. I envision an upstairs bar called the Sky Lounge that’s so popular that locals want to hang out there and watch all the people and planes.
I love our airport. I love the history, the location, the people who work there and the pilots who fly in and out regularly. I am a big fan of direct flights with meaningful connections. That is the future.
Everyone I’ve talked to who works at the airport is in favor of the proposed improvements. Giving up all FAA funding because you’re holding on to an Aspen that no longer exists and hasn’t been for a long time seems financially foolish. Still, I understand that mentality. Some of my best work has been done in the past.
It’s an interesting feeling to find yourself on the other side of an issue with people you respect. I was disappointed to see other columnists’ editorials opposing the airport, but not the least bit surprised. I’ve read and endured enough bitter rants from locals to be able to separate nostalgia, self-loathing and anger from reality.
The Community Coalition for a 21st Century Airport and its roster of rational stateswomen and elder statesmen supporters appealed to me. I trust the commissioners, the Chamber, the Aspen Skiing Co. and the real experts on this issue. It seems to me that the opposition is looking to restart the anti-SkiCo fight against the airport from the 1990s led by Hunter Thompson.
The resistance has one fatal flaw – its leader. Amory Lovins is too smart. Nice guy, but I understand absolutely nothing he says. Unless he makes a radical lifestyle change at the expense of his health and starts addressing the issues in a muddled way using cruel adjectives, more like Hunter S., I think they will lose at the ballot box. As someone who lives directly in the flight path, I will be voting for a new and improved runway and airport this November. Call me crazy. It wouldn’t be the first time.
