Aspen/Pitkin County Airport

Not bad for a small town. Its surprising how many places have flights to Aspen and with LAX only 90 min away, they make it easy to visit.
And unlike Whistler, which is 2 hrs from Vancouver Airport, or Banff, Jackson Hole, Park City, etc that are all nearly or more than an hour from the nearest airport, when you land at Aspen airport you are literally 5 minutes from both downtown Aspen in one direction and Snowmass Village, the other.
Its an easy in and out, has surprisingly quick security and not so slow baggage handling.
A nice airport.

This airport sux from security thru waiting area. TSA bunch of idiots n the area is way to small. Hour to get thru n no seats to wait all were full. Aspen airport to visionaries running that place not idiots. Never again

I agree with all the posters who think that this airport is terrible.
First a little history. The terminal building has barely changed in 35 years. It was built for a time when ¾ of the flights came from Stapleton Airport in Denver. There were no direct flights to any of the big cities meaning that all of the jets coming in were quite small eg BAE 146. Back then there was no TSA either. The big problem is the waiting lounge which is way too small and should be doubled in size. The county has plans for a new and bigger terminal but don’t hold your breath waiting for it to happen. This area has been populated by rich hippies who are highly politicized and very green. No doubt there will be objections to a bigger terminal because it might destroy the habitat of the lesser spotted marmot or some similarly cute little critter.
Here are a few tips that might help some. Before leaving home check your hotel’s website to see if they offer airport pickup and load their number into your phone if they do. There is also an assistance desk where they will make the call for you. Don’t freak out if your bags aren’t there. That happens all the time and they will be there by the next morning. It is much better to tip the hotel driver $ 5 than pay $ 30 plus for a shared limo to Aspen and much more to Snowmass. If you are travelling light then take the free bus into either town. The bus stop is about 50 yards from the terminal door. When you are leaving ignore those super friendly guys on the sidewalk who will try to check your bags. Be warned, they are not free. Just walk through to the check in which is free and only 10 yards inside the door.
There are no tips for the waiting lounge. Grab a cup of the dreadful coffee then sit on the floor if you have to and dream of fresh powder.

This airport is really easy to get in and out of if it isn’t storming. Because any little storm and your flight will get delayed or even cancelled. It’s basically the approach into the airport that causes the delays and cancellations. Depends on what the visibility is and they only come in one way since their is only one airstrip and they have to navigate the tall peaks. It is listed as one of the top 10 most dangerous airports in H2’s documentary.
If planes can’t get in they you can’t get out if there aren’t any planes on the ground.
If you are lucky like I was to hitch a ride on a private plane it seems they have less restriction on getting into the airport. I was able to get out of there or I would have been stuck in aspen for another 2 days.
Also there isn’t much for food options and room since the airport is so small.

Aspen airport is the worst ever! American Airlines there makes it even worse! After 2 hrs in line as they had ONE PERSON AT THE COUNTER FOR AN ENTIRE PLANE we finally got inside the gate area just to stand & have no place to sit! Then the delays start. Beautiful weather but no plane. Then the plan arrives & everybody gets on only to have if cruise back to the gate to «check something out» after 3 MORE HOURS we board again only to have to sit onboard for 2 MORE HOURS to calculate how many bags & passengers had to GET OFF THE PLANE so we could leave. Thank god we were first class right? After 10 mad & crying passengers have to exit the plan being told after 7 hours that the had to leave & there were no flights for them for 2DAYS the «LUCKY» rest of us can fly to Dallas to overnight as we ALL have missed every connection. We are told to get a room which we do but have no bags & no clothes or toiletries it’s late & everything’s closed, we get a candy bar from a vending machine. ITS MY GIRLFRIENDS BIRTHDAY AND JAN 3^rd JUST AFTER NEW YEARS! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! HAPPY NEW YEARS… …BUT!!! THEY (AA/​American Airlines) ARE NOT DONE WITH US YET!!! We have now 2 first class tickets to New Orleans get on & ask about our bags with expensive jewelry & clothes (it is Aspen New Years & my girlfriends birthday) & the woman says «no problem, we booked you on the 1^st flight to NOLA your FIRST CLASS, you are GOLDEN! (After 24 hours of being jacked around) We land in New Orleans one hour later… NO BAGS! We got 6 bags. It’s ski season! We go to file a report. ONLY ONES to have to. The lady says «YOU DOCTOR WILLIAMSON SHOULD HAVE GOT YOUR BAGS YOURSELF & RECHECKED THEM!!! AT 11:30 AT NIGHT? IN DALLAS? Did the ENTIRE PLANE OR PEOPLE & BAGS HAVE TO DO THAT? You (AA) said they were on the NEXT FLIGHT OUT WITH US! She squirmed because she couldn’t rationally shift the blame to US! THEN she said no problem, give me an exact description of the bags we will drive them to your house in Baton Rouge (an hour away). We drive home happy to be free at last, BUT THEY (AA) ARE NOT DONE WITH US YET! HEHEHEEE!!! We get home having been told to wait for a call so we can be home to receive our bags. NO CALL ALL DAY! (TODAY as I’m writing this) SO We call back no answer! WE call Dallas! THEY haven’t gotten a locater description YET ! 6 hours later! I’ll spare anybody reading this the rest if you’ve read this much! NOBODY & even US (getting online ourselves) can tell us a thing. There are various people in AA who say the bags are in Dallas or DONT KNOW. We’ve been put on hold for hours with NEW SHIFTS of people hearing our story. We’ve skipped my girlfriends BD dinner as we have napped because this has gone on for nearing 2days! What’s worse is I think of those poor people who had to catch a cruise ship in Miami or were shuffled off in Aspen for unknown sentence of time & I think WE ARE THE LUCKY ONES! We are alive & HOME! We have no clothes. My girlfriend has no presents (they’re in the bags). We’re about to have soup as we are approaching midnight. NO WORD! They put us on terminal hold as we check every few hours hoping we will JUST GO AWAY! At least the newer shifts have the compassion of someone who is fascinated by a train wreck. WE HAVENT REACHED THE DEPTHS OF INCOMPETENCE & CARELESSNESS OF AMERICAN AIRLINES YET AS… THEY ARE NOT DONE WITH US YET! THEY ARE STILL FEELING AROUND FOR THE BOTTOM! THEY’RE Board of DIrectors will NEVER be shown this review. THE FIRST MY LAZY ASS HAS EVER TAKEN THE TIME TO WRITE IN MY LIFE! I’m sure this isn’t ALL they plan BUT HEY! WE are probably they LUCKY ONES! they could have eaten those poor souls left in Aspen for all I know. Going to sleep. It’s another day… AND AMERICAN AIRLINES IS NOT DONE WITH US YET!!! Post this please as the only thing they can do now is send a hit team to the house… then we’ll be with our bags !! WHY ARENT THERE NEGATIVE STARS!?? One star really? But HEY… They just called US. then put us on hold. Probably seeing if we’re home… HEHEHEEEE

DEPARTURE REVIEW
Upon arrival, the man didn’t help me unload my bags from the car outside. Then unfortunately he was unable to print both of my boarding passes (I was using two different airlines) so I had to go to the American counter after I was finished working with United. The woman at the American counter then proceeded to tell me that she was not going to be able to print my next boarding pass because of «something weird in the computer», so said I should do it when I got to Chicago. Well, looking at my flight and current delay, I’m going to have 30 minutes from when my flight lands in Chicago to go to another terminal for another airline, print my ticket, and somehow make my flight. Thanks for the added pressure!
Well, as it turns out, both women looked at my reservation (which I had previously been on the phone for an hour that morning rearranging with American Airlines) and neither thought that it was an issue that they couldn’t print my boarding pass. Got to chicago, ran a mile to my gate at a full sprint, only to be told that I didn’t even have a ticket for that flight home the day before Christmas Eve. Really? Nobody could have caught that or helped me in Aspen? TWO different people looked at the reservation! Naturally I was crushed, didn’t make the flight, and I still do not have my bags, which all could’ve been resolved in the Aspen airport during my 3 hour wait where I asked two different AA women for assistance.
Went to sit down and charge my phone, which is nice because some seats have chargers. Unfortunate thing is that all of the seats are FILTHY with food, crumbs, and garbage. Everything else in Aspen is wonderful! What is going on in this airport today?

Aspen/​Pitkin… you’re the cutest!
And I think flying to Aspen as opposed to take a shuttle from Denver is a much better option, if you’re prepared for delays and cancellations due to weather. The staff is super sweet and was willing to call over to my hotel to ask them to send a shuttle to pick me up. They are next to no food options though. But that’s a-​ok by me because the convenience factor trumps the lack of a Chili’s Too.

Arriving in Aspen’s tiny airport is about as no-​fuss as it gets, but departing is an entirely different story.
So the Aspen airport is basically sandwiched between two mountains and once you factor in the notoriously capricious weather, you have a recipe for a lot of cancelled or delayed flights. And because the airport offers basically nothing in terms of food or adult beverages (or even enough seating), it’s best to head back into town and enjoy a hot toddy or three at your favorite cozy bar whilst waiting out your delay.
I know I said arriving was no-​fuss, but the actual act of landing can be a bit tricky. My friend Josh (a local) said that a small plane crashes every couple of years or so. The unpredictable, rapidly-​changing weather coupled with the need to descend very quickly (about 2,400 feet in about a minute) means that how a pilot responds in the final moments of the approach is absolutely critical. That being said, only the most veteran pilots fly into Aspen!
Phew.
If you wish to avoid the anxieties of flying into Aspen, the shuttle from Denver will get you into town in about 3 hours — however, if it’s snowing it’s closer to 5 or 5.5 hours! Plan accordingly.

It’s a big arse house in the middle of a mountain with a slab of concrete outside for a runway. One side of the house is arrivals, walk though the middle of the house where there is a sitting area and food counter, and you get to the other side of the house at departures.
Aspen is a PIA to get to from almost anywhere. I took a chance and booked a flight going there from NYC with stopover in Houston, and a stopover in Denver returning. My arriving flight was fine because the weather was perfect.
The airport is smack-​dab in the middle of the mountains — seriously. So the plane has to basically just drop itself in the middle of the mountain range. The pilots are pros, so don’t worry about it. What you SHOULD worry about — if there is bad weather you can be stranded in Aspen because the flights WILL BE cancelled — period! This is what happened to me trying to get out of Aspen and to Denver. 36 hours later — I arrived home in NYC after a 5-​hour bus shuttle ride to DIA. Nice.. .
Anyway, if Aspen wasn’t such a huge PIA and unreliable to get in/​out, I’d go back because Snowmass is amazing (see my review). But, I’ll probably stick to the mountains closer to Denver because DIA is very reliable and Denver weather is generally easy and cooperative.

Going into the Pitkin County Airport is always exciting. There are a few things you should know:
1) Don’t fly in with a novice pilot, so, stick to the airlines or a pilot who has flown into Aspen regularly before. Not a great place to go with Uncle Ned and his new Piper 172 for the first time.
2) Take a morning flight if possible. afternoon is more likely to be bumpy or cancelled due to weather /​airplane stuck.
3) Don’t expect this airport to be like any other… it’s pretty crappy but easy to navigate.
4) It can move at the speed of Aspen (that’s slow).
5) Don’t get freaked out if in the summer the airplane spools the engines before starting to move (with the brakes on). it’s just so they don’t run off the end of the runway or into a mountain. Always exciting!

This is not an airport. This is a room with windows. This is a parking lot for your Learjet.
Arrival: Land, walk outside, mountains! Walk in, baggage claim. Two options — «Denver» and «Not Denver». I came from Denver. This was easy. No real crowd, just a few people that worked there, some rental car booths, and tourist into. No place for coffee, food, etc. My bags came quickly. This step is very difficult to mess up.
Welcome to Aspen.
Ground Transportation: There were a few taxis, a few hotel shuttles, and a few benches. We waited outside, it was fine. No traditional airport traffic, noises, etc.
Departure: Security line was short. There were 4 flights going out and 0 seats available. The «airport» really is just a room with doors, with very little area for anything else. Standing room only = standing in everyone’s way everywhere all the time.
Food: No actual food place with a name, just a counter. $ 7 for an un-​good coffee and corn pops. They wanted to charge extra for milk.
Cue: laughter and milkless cereal.

This airport is really convenient if you are in LA or Houston and want to hit the slopes stat. Direct flights daily during ski season. You have less of a chance of getting marooned in Denver, which is basically the worst airport ever. However, Aspen Airport has been touted as one of the most dangerous because it’s smack dab in the middle of the mountain range. so if bad weather heads your way, get ready for a cancelled flight… still worth it in my opinion.
The convenience of the direct flight and arriving to this dinky airport (only 2 baggage terminals and 7 gates), will be quickly forgotten when it is time for you to return to your home city.
There are not enough gate agents or self check-​in machines so there is always a 20 – 30 minute line to check in. and security? Yeah, i’d plan for an hour for that too. The last two times i’ve been here the line has actually stretched outside of the airport.
The gate waiting area is WAY too small. people start setting up camp on the floors for their often delayed flights, and it begins to look somewhat like a refugee camp. but you have to stay in there, because if you leave the gate area, you have to again go through the dreaded security line.
Arriving is a breeze, departing is a nightmare. I’ll still fly direct into Aspen any day, but this airport is pretty sad, especially considering how high taxes are in Aspen!!!

Although this airport is small and convenient, I found many flaws with it. Upon arrival, AA did not check our bags curbside. I did get my boarding passes from the kiosk, which was the only convenience to this airport. Upon ascending to the security checkpoint, the line was long and only one person was working the TSA stand to verify your ticket and identification and only one xray machine was open!!! There must have been 50 people in the line. They FINALLY opened another xray machine as I was getting into the terminal.
Once in the terminal, it was very small and claustrophobic. The food cart there was terrible and I would not let my canine eat it. The only part I liked of the terminal was the gift shop (they don’t sell gum) and the water fountain had an area where you can refill your water bottle.

Fabulous, mountain town airport.
Short security line and cozy interior.
Can’t complain.

*********************** 747 *************************
The smallest airports I’ve ever been in my life. Just a few gates, not enough chairs for passengers to sit. Great folks work here though. Aspen is the place where I see no chain fast food, no chain restos, no Starbuck’s and I love it.
But when the first class passengers, chefs, the rich, and the famous-​look-​alike got to carry his/​her own bags to the airplane, I love watching it. Think of Burbank Airport, ha, I feel like first class all the sudden :-)
Because of the windy afternoon, American Airlines by American Eagles (the worst airlines ever, base on US survey on NBC June 2012), stuck in this tiny airport for 4 hrs, absolutely nothing to do, no resto, no bar, no wine!!! Arrrr now, even the best sommeliers have to sit next to me without a drink, I feel fancy!
I usually fly to Denver or Colorado Springs, then drive here during the snowboarding season, this was Aspen Food & Wine Class in the summer, stuck at this airport, I feel as I HAVE to behave as I was in a church! And I’m not Christian nor Catholic! This airport rule, needs to change!

What a weird airport. It’s super small (as one would expect) and obviously there’s not a ton of things to within the airport itself.
I tried to go to the one store in the airport to get some Alka-​Selzer and it was closed because one person’s shift ended before the other person showed up. That’s the kind of tiny this airport is.
Overall we had no issues getting in and out, but this isn’t a place you’d want to be stuck. There’s no place to go.

This has got to be the smallest airport I’ve been to my entire life. When I landed at this airport the other day, instead of a jet bridge, they merely wheel stairs to the entrance of the plane and then deplane the passengers into the jetway. Most people are waiting for their bags outside because their carry on baggage will not fit into the overhead compartment.
I have to say that people are extremely friendly, in particular, this one lady from the information booth. She guided me through the whole entire town via a three dimensional map. She even practically walked me to the bus stop. Now, that’s what I call some service.
The only real gripe about this airport is the lack of quality food after clearing the security checkpoint. All I saw to eat at this airport was prepackaged food. Other than that, this airport is close to the four mountain resorts: Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, abd Snowmass.

Tiny little airport that gets very crowded during the holidays. I love how easy checking our bags was but they could use a lot more seating behind security. You probably can get there 30 minutes before your flight and make it without a problem!
Once you are through security there are people sitting on the floor and it seriously feels like you are piled on top of each other. Also, getting our bags took surprisingly long considering the small size of the airport.

This is like a Barbie airport – an extremely miniaturized and simplified version of the real thing. Which actually works out great, because it keeps security lines short, boarding times reasonable, and gate agents accessible. I arrived for my outbound flight 90 minutes early, but could have rolled up much later and had no trouble.
The airport is cute with a cabin feel that matches the vibe of the Aspen area. Only private planes and regional jets service the airport. All boarding and disembarking takes place outdoors with rollaway stair cases, which, while something 60s First Lady Barbie would appreciate, can be a bit challenging for those unsteady on their feet (or in snowy conditions. I heard it sometimes snows in Aspen.).
Minus one star for being a bit TOO small to hold all the passengers waiting for their flights. It got to be a bit of a zoo right before boarding, and our flight was only half full.

The Aspen/​Pitkin County Airport is a true resemblance of the area itself.
It’s small, quaint, hassle free and filled with genuinely helpful or legimately people, but the Colorado crazies manage to be helpful too.
Going in and out, you’re bound to see beautiful views. I always make it a point to go Aspen during a slow period because I can imagine this little shanty of an airport can get crazy VERY quickly. Right outside you’ll find a bus that will take you into town or down valley. Across the street you’ll find a gas station.
Hopefully, you’ll have a friend coming to pick you up.
If you’re one to be disgusted by those with private planes (as I am), prepare to be disgusted to the max.