Chris Dillman/Vail Daily
Eagle County Regional Airport has a deceptively simple long-term goal: to expand its flight offerings. But the path to getting there is complicated.
Chris Romer, President and CEO of the Vail Valley Partnership, presented on behalf of the EGE Air Alliance to the Core Transit Board of Directors during its regular meeting on Wednesday, August 14.
More service, more passengers
The airport has expanded its offerings this year and passenger numbers are increasing.
The number of passengers on flights – that is, the number of people boarding – has increased after the pandemic-related reduction in 2020. By fall 2024, boarding numbers have increased by more than 20% since the beginning of the year. “We have a good track record of expanding service offerings and expect that to continue in 2025 with the new flights we have,” Romer said.
Looking at boarding numbers broken down by month, 2024 will surpass 2022 and 2023 in every month measured so far from January to June.
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This summer, weekend flights to Chicago and Houston were added, and this winter the airport will begin offering Alaska Airlines service, an innovation that has been more than six years in the making.
The airline will offer flights to Seattle and San Diego three times a week, on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, from December 21 to March 23.
“It will be our very first low-cost airline,” said Romer.
How the airport adds flights and airlines
Convincing airlines to offer new routes to Eagle County Regional Airport is a lengthy process that requires extensive negotiations and sometimes an on-site visit. Almost always, the airline must guarantee a minimum revenue or receive a subsidy from the airport to supplement unused seats on flights.
“Outside of Denver, every single one of these markets started with a minimum revenue guarantee program,” Romer said. “That’s the model for regional airports.”
Currently, the only Eagle County Regional Airport routes that are guaranteed minimum revenues are the routes being added this summer and next winter.
The minimum revenue guarantee for Alaska Airlines’ new flights is $2.5 million over four years, $1 million of which will be covered by a Small Community Air Service Development Program grant. EGE Air Alliance applied for and received $1.2 million from Core Transit’s 2025 budget to support the flights.
In 2024, the minimum revenue guarantee for summer service in Chicago was $413,000 and for Houston $287,000, totaling just over $700,000. The minimum revenue guarantee is intended to supplement under-utilized flights and is tied to a percentage of seats filled or load factor. For these two flights, there is the option to reduce the minimum revenue guarantee if the load factor exceeds 60%.
In June, flights to Chicago had a capacity of 51%, while flights to Houston were at 44%. In July, flights to Chicago and Houston each had a capacity of 63%. Figures for August are not yet available, but are estimated to be around 60%.
A 20-year look at Eagle County Regional Airport
The Federal Aviation Administration requires all airports to review their infrastructure and create a master plan every five to seven years. Eagle County Regional Airport’s latest plan covers the next 20 years and includes terminal upgrades, more jetways and parking lot upgrades.
One thing will never change at Eagle County Regional Airport: “We have one runway and we’re going to keep it that way,” David Reid, the airport’s flight director, said during the meeting. “There’s no way we can build another runway if we have the space to do it… We’re going to develop the airfield in a different way.”
The airport has been working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection on the possibility of an international terminal. Two years ago, the airport received approval to design the terminal and it is now fully planned.
The airport is currently seeking funding for the international terminal – construction costs are around $20 million – through grants, exchanges and possibly private partnerships.
“If everything goes well, we could start excavation by next spring,” Reid said.
Which airlines and routes does the airport have in mind next?
According to Romer, the EGE Air Alliance has been examining gaps in the flight map to see where more service is needed.
“Central Florida is a big gap. We have a lot of visitors from Central Florida, Orlando or Tampa,” Romer said.
Fort Lauderdale, Charlotte, Minneapolis and Boston are also on the list.
Romer also expressed hope that a particular low-cost airline – Southwest Airlines, whose name he did not disclose at the meeting – would soon be persuaded to come to Eagle County, as it already offers flights to Steamboat Springs, Montrose and Denver.
The airport team has been negotiating with the airline for years about a connection to Eagle County Regional Airport. “It’s about the availability of the aircraft,” Romer said. “We’re on their radar and they’re on ours.”
Prioritizing local needs
When deciding on the airport’s next steps, the priorities of locals and tourists must be balanced.
Currently, there are year-round flights to Dallas and Denver, and Romer said the goal is to make the Chicago flight year-round as well. “Year-round service to the local community is a top priority,” Romer said.
This summer, EGE Air Alliance launched a local flight discount program that gives Eagle County residents $100 off flights on its new routes to Chicago and Houston. To receive the discount, locals simply need to fill out a form on the Vail Valley Partnership website. and they receive a check for $100. “It’s very popular, it’s very well used, and it gets people to not only support these new flights, but also get to know Eagle County Regional Airport,” Romer said. “I’m really excited to sign all these checks for community members, friends and neighbors.”
This winter, the local discount will continue to apply to passengers on Alaska Airlines flights.
For more information about the airport and upcoming flights, visit the new website FlyEGE.com. (formerly FlyVail.com).
