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Eagle County Regional Airport sets record with highest passenger visitation rates in 13 years
Eagle County on Monday issued the following press release on increased passenger traffic at the Eagle County Regional Airport in 2021:
Last year was one of the busiest on record for the Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE). In 2021 EGE experienced the highest passenger visitation rate in 13 years. Not since 2008 have as many passengers transited EGE, with enplanements, or boardings for the year numbering 206,536.
“Nationwide, traffic has really only recovered about 80 percent,” said David Reid, Director of Aviation at the Eagle County Regional Airport. “At EGE, we’ve been consistently surprised with setting monthly records in 2021. We have seen strong recovery with our visitors but also with our local travelers choosing their hometown airport.”
Factors driving the increased traffic through EGE include added summer service to Atlanta and Chicago along with year-round service to Denver. Direct flights from Dallas also helped drive enplanements up in 2021.
“The Eagle County Regional Airport is a benefit to both our tourism industry and our community at large,” said Vail Valley Partnership President and CEO Chris Romer. “The EGE Air Alliance offered a $100 flight rebate program to Eagle County residents for summer 2021 (June 3 – September 5) and plans to do a similar rebate program in 2022 to encourage locals to utilize EGE.”
The big three U.S. carriers, American, United, and Delta Airlines, each conduct operations at EGE with the 2021 market share breakdown as follows – American Airlines at 54.9 percent, United Airlines at 34.9 percent, and Delta Airlines at 10.0 percent.
EGE is minutes away from your final destination. Visit flyvail.com for flight and airport information.
Susie Kincade
February 14, 2022 at 1:04 pm
I like Real Vail generally, but I expect journalism and a variety of perspectives, not commercials cloaked as one-sided “news”.
These sales may be good for the economy but it is bordering on environmental injustice for those of us who live in the air traffic pattern in Eagle and Gypsum. The noise and air pollution are nearly unbearable sometimes. Vail must stop overselling lift tickets, creating a crisis over resources and consumption in our limited little valley. When is enough enough?! Let’s hear the working people’s side of this story.
David O. Williams
February 14, 2022 at 1:14 pm
Thanks for reading, Susie, but this was clearly labeled as a press release and its source was identified. It was in my community content section and not under the news header.
Susie
February 14, 2022 at 1:25 pm
Thanks for clarifying David O! Got it.
Still…there may be a story here for you in the future. It’s a quality of life story that is emerging in our county. The beauty, joy, and experience of living here is diminishing drastically as we shoehorn guests and residents into our valley, overuse our limited resources, kill our wildlife, and pollute our water and air.
David O. Williams
February 14, 2022 at 1:32 pm
True. I wrote about the need to transform our transportation and energy systems for the outdoor recreation industry during climate change in the latest issue of Vail Valley Magazine. Hopefully the story, entitled “Where has all the snow gone?”, will be online soon. For now you have to pick up a copy or go to their digital version: https://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&edid=238da783-58ce-4d7d-9f4d-e7d920ce6c5e
Sus
February 14, 2022 at 1:38 pm
That’s certainly a chunk of the apple, David. I’ll check it out.
Thanks for your voice!
Susie
David O. Williams
February 14, 2022 at 3:01 pm
I also wrote this: https://www.realvail.com/blowing-it-a-deep-dive-on-snowmaking-cloud-seeding-during-a-climate-crisis/a11885/ and this https://www.realvail.com/housing-crisis-real-estate-inequity-fans-flames-of-labor-shortage-wildfire-danger/a12318/ and this https://www.realvail.com/the-blue-sky-is-falling/a12221/ about some of the issues you’re talking about in your initial comment.
Stan Rictor
February 15, 2022 at 6:30 am
Well this really sucks. Not much fun waiting in half hour lift lines and struggling to find a parking spot at the grocery store. The traffic is a nightmare and there’s no parking in Vail. You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone that doesn’t think Eagle county is headed in the wrong direction including the visitors.
Susie
February 15, 2022 at 10:09 am
I’ve lived here for 42 years and was once the Marketing Manager for Vail/BC. Yes, I sold this place to the world and am often very regretful of my work, since I’m now an avid environmentalist. However I will say that the all-community marketing discussion constantly revolved around restraint and how to be successful and profitable without cooking the goose that was laying the golden eggs. Well, to Stan’s point above, I think the goose is cooked!