Why I Love Vail/Eagle County Regional Airport
Wednesday, December 5th, 2007From my home in the Colorado Rockies, I’ve got a choice of airports.
Aspen (ASE) is only 30 minutes away, but usually prices to fly in and out of this chi-chi resort are steep, especially in the high season (summer and winter).
Grand Junction (GJT) is about 90 minutes from me, but it works if I’m flying to the West Coast (usually via Salt Lake City or Phoenix).
Denver (DEN) is a nearly-four-hour drive, but since it’s a United and Frontier hub, I get the best deals here. If I’m flying somewhere with the whole family (four of us; five if my mother-in-law comes along) we’ll make the drive to Denver and stay overnight in an airport-area hotel before our flights. We typically do this for long-haul trips to Mexico or the East Coast.
My preferred airport, however, is Eagle/Vail (EGE). Why? That’s easy: FREE PARKING!
How many regional airports these days offer totally free short-term and long-term parking? Not many, I don’t think. All the parking spots are within walking distance to the main terminal–no shuttle service needed. That’s a beautiful thing.
For me, the airport is an hour from my home. That means it’s about an hour and a half from Aspen. It’s also less than 30 minutes to Vail’s slopes, and not that much further to Breckenridge.
Basically, if you’re coming to the Rockies to ski, consider EGE if you don’t want to make the lengthy drive from Denver International Airport. Colorado Mountain Express vans make scheduled runs from EGE to the various Western Slope ski areas.
The Vail/Eagle County Regional Airport also offers free wireless internet service throughout the terminal. It’s spacious and always clean. A newly remodeled coffee shop and deli offers healthy food before your flight.
And the airport does accommodate jet service, which is great for me, since I hate flying on small propeller planes (yes, the irony of being a travel writer and dreading small-plane flying does not escape me). Boeing 757s regularly fly in and out of EGE.
For your next vacation in Western Colorado, I highly recommend checking out EGE. It’s truly the most convenient airport to most of the Rockies resort locations, and has many non-stop flights from major U.S. cities. Read more about EGE here.
