Industry News
Commercial airlines American and Delta are asking the U.S. Department of Transportation if they can temporarily suspend their services to and from Aspen, Colorado. Both airlines had to keep flights to Aspen on their schedules during May in order to qualify for stimulus funds under the federal CARES Act, Aspen Daily News reports.
Bill Tomcich, an Aspen air-travel consultant and the community’s liaison to the airlines, told Aspen Daily News that the suspension of American Airlines’ Aspen route may only be brief.
Commercial airlines American and Delta have asked the U.S. Department of Transportation if they can temporarily suspend their services to and from Aspen. (Andre Salvail, Aspen Daily News) https://t.co/UOtoOFruVp
— Aspen Daily News (@AspenDailyNews) May 29, 2020
Andre Salvail with Aspen Daily News writes,
“Because of its obligations under the CARES Act, American has had a unique routing since May 7 from Dallas-Fort Worth to Eagle, then Eagle to Aspen, then Aspen to Montrose, and back to DFW. Dubbed the “Mountain Hopper,” the route has gained attention among media outlets and travel consultants because the 29-mile Eagle-to-Aspen leg is currently the shortest commercial jet flight in the nation.”
- Related: Vail to Aspen, CO in 35-Minutes | American Airlines Announces Nation’s Shortest Flight Route
American Airlines is looking to discontinue the five-day-per-week “Hopper” earlier than planned and to accomplish that, the airline officially had to seek DOT approval to suspend DFW service to Eagle, Aspen, and Montrose, Tomcich told the Aspen Daily News.
Delta Airlines also has a flight to Aspen from Salt Lake City and the carrier is too, looking to suspend the direct flight for the time being. However, the suspension date has yet to be determined by the DOT as Delta is still trying to accommodate currently booked passengers, according to Aspen Daily News.
