Durango – La Plata County Airport

Durango Airport is so bad, Greyhound now looks like luxury travel. It’s small, quaint and utterly inept. Flight options are limited, staffing is minimal, which means the slightest perturbation means that you are stuck. Stuck means STUCK since they have about 5 flights a day and have no means or will to recover.
Slush — literally slush — has delayed flights for hours. Slush. At an airport that is the gateway to some epic ski resorts.
Save yourself some misery and go to a proper airport like ABQ. Driving a rented Geo Metro for the extra two hours is a much better option. This airport is clearly the third circle of hell if things don’t go your way.

This is one of the best airports I have ever been to. There are only a few exits and it is never crowded. It is never slow and they keep the airport clean. The flights are rarely delayed and everyone is nice to you. I recomend this airport for anyone nearby who has to leave or return somewhere.

For a small airport it isn’t that bad. The lady at the sandwich shop before TSA was very nice. Word to the wise you NEED TO PAY FOR A CONFIRMED SEAT!!! We had to rerun our rental car early to save a day of charges and in the three hour wait they have asked for volunteers to take a later flight on every flight and we have seen no takers. Unfortunately it seems someone is getting booted every flight. PS they just asked for 16 volunteers on our flight!

As I found myself awaiting a delayed plane I was delighted to find a lovely lady by the name of dennise. She works in the new addition bar/​snack lounge. Her dedication to please and serve her clients was a breath of fresh air. She welcomed each patron and made sure everyone was more than taken care of. Some travelers had been there all day and she did her next to keep people in a good mood.

I write this review for those of you (like many of my unfortunate former plane mates) that are scheduling connections: consider pushing your connection to a later time. Context-​wise I feel bad giving this airport such a low rating… It’s likely not responsible for the flight plans/​schedules of the few airlines (united express, frontier, etc) that service it. Having said that, the flights connected to this airport apparently rarely follow their intended schedules. Since moving to Durango 6+ months ago, I’ve heard many (almost laughably consistent) comments from coworkers who fly to Denver on a regular basis that flights are frequently delayed/​cancelled in/​out of this airport. I assumed they just had bad luck with weather or other random issues… My initial experience: my flight out of Durango to Denver landed 2 hours late (due to a «paperwork issue»). Huh, bad luck maybe… And THEN, my flight back has been pushed to tomorrow AM. Luckily this is a work trip and my employer will somewhat reimburse me for most inconveniences. Sadly, the poor schedule rumors, at least in my initial experience, appear to be true. Plan accordingly!

This is a terrible place to have to fly out of, the least little weather change results in canceled flights. I. have tried to fly into Durango 2 times and both times there were equipment problems and I had to cancel/​change flights. Just spent 48 hours in Denver trying to get home via this airport and there was equipment problems with no planes coming or going and had to drive 6 hours home. Come on, update your equipment. I recommend going to Albuquerque and fly Southwest. This airport does’t even deserve 1 star.

This is a very small airport with not much to offer so prepare to be bored if you have a very long layover here. Sometimes it is miserable getting checked in because it seems that the same staff have multiple roles making this a slow process. My favorite part is being able to actually walk up to the plane old school style :-)

Most people were nice and helpful. Frontier Airlines check in was less than helpful tho. We drove in from Telluride for a very early flight. The guy said we were 2 minutes late and wasn’t going to take us. We were there at 6:15 for a 7a flight. I guess boarding time was like 6:23. Thankfully we got thru. That 7a flight never took off until 7:38!

This was a tiny airport and the only airlines that I flew in and out of here were United Airlines and Frontier. I don’t know if there were any other airlines here but I can’t imagine there being more. There were a lot of small planes so most likely you’ll be walking out of your plane and onto the tarmac. If you want to get a close-​up view of the airplane you’re boarding, then you’ll definitely have your chance here. Once inside of the airport, there was a small waiting area as well as the security checkpoint. The baggage claim was small which was located right next to the rental car counters. The airport was one of those quick in and out places as long as you’re early enough for your flights (specifically Frontier). Rental car returns were easy since the parking lot was right next to the terminal so walking a few hundred feet to the checkpoint was about it. This was an okay airport and should relatively easy to get in and out.

Just went through security. The TSA agents are very rude. One went through my bag for «additional screening» and didn’t even zip it back up. The other let some people go through with shoes on and others had to take theirs off. Sounds like a great idea to pick and choose who gets screened thoroughly and who doesn’t.

I know you only have 2 choices when flying out of Durango, go with United! Frontier lost my baggage and cannot seem to find it anywhere. Good luck calling any of their numbers and getting an actual person. You have to leave messages at any number or if you get an actual person on the 800 number, they will let you know where to call to leave a message. Approximate wait time to get to this actual person is around 30 minutes. It’s been the most ridiculous flight/​luggage experience I have ever encountered, and I fly often. NEVER AGAIN, unless by some miracle they make it up to me for the insane hassle. I’ll edit if so, not looking good.

Obviously there are not a plethora of flights and it’s the size of a postage stamp but any airport these days where the bar lady calls you ‘Hun’ is tops in my book. Very nice staff all around, very clean, never crowded and a nice place to sit and watch a game. Can’t complain about this airport unless of course you can’t fly where you want to go.

My home airports are Chicago O’Hare and Chicago Midway. Durango — LaPlata County Airport could fit at the end of a single terminal, where I come from. But don’t start thinking that I’m complaining. In fact, just the opposite. I love going through this little airport.
Reasons to love Durango-​LaPlata County Airport.
1) TSA screening takes 10 minutes. Really. Even when there are a several people in front of you. BTW, there are never more than several people.
2) You don’t have to walk half a mile to your gate. You walk, maybe, 50 feet.
3) The ladies’ bathrooms are clean and well-​stocked.
4) There is only one luggage carousel. It’s impossible to run around for half an hour, trying to figure out where United has switched your luggage. It’s all in one place.
5) Car rental agencies are opposite the luggage carousel. You may have a bit of a wait to pick up your car, because the person in front of you is asking for things like a map of the Dallas-​Ft. Worth airport. I’ve used Enterprise and Budget, and each time — maybe because I’m prepared with all the proper paperwork? — I’m in my car in five minutes. And returning is just as easy, if not easier.
6) There’s a small restaurant.
7) The seats in the waiting area are comfy.
8) It’s in Colorado!
The only complaint I have is, if your flight is delayed for any reason, there’s NOTHING to do! Not even a TV screen in the waiting area. You can buy a few magazines in the gift shop, but unless you’re prepared to entertain yourself for hours, you are screwed.

It’s kinda small but can be a wait to get in past the gate just make sure you get before an hr.

Sweet and tiny airport. Here’s how to deal with it:
If you need to check your bag, arrive early — at least an hour — but not too early. Returning your rental car will take about 15 seconds — and you walk inside the terminal from the parking lot (no shuttle needed). You’ll wait in a stagnant line as the staff/​flight attendants finish up cleaning the plane, but the people you’ll be flying out with will likely be very friendly. Once the staff arrives, everyone gets through — so do reassure any first-​timers in line. Your carry-​on luggage almost definitely won’t fit in their teensy prop plane overhead compartments, so make sure you get the proper tags so you can pick it up right after you land, rather than at the baggage claim at your layover destination (ouch).
If you time it right, security will not take long at all, though they are thorough. So waste a little time drinking up the $ 5.50 microbrews at the little restaurant on-​site (most of the tables are next to windows where you can eye the size of the line). Admittedly life in NYC left a permanent sense of «wow, this is cheap» when I’m anywhere outside of it, but I’m pretty sure that’s the cheapest airport beer of ANY kind I’ve seen. Not to mention that the Durango Hop Hugger IPA is pretty fantastic. Can’t speak for the food (we doubled down on some Himalayan Kitchen beforehand) but you won’t be able to eat much besides Fritos/​Cheetos/​Doritos once you go through security, and you certainly can’t get beer, so I’d do that first. They do have Keurig coffee for purchase.
Arriving is a total breeze. Walk off the plane, pick up your bags at the ONLY baggage claim, locate your rental no less than 45 feet away, and take off for SW Colorado!

Only food inside security is a vending machine so if you want something better, get there early to order from the counter.

Much like food, this airport is better coming in than going out.
Since there’s only one baggage claim, the arrival is super smooth.
Leaving, however, things get a little backed up, especially if your flight’s at three. The TSA here seems to be really strict too.
Also, be sure to print your boarding pass when you leave; they won’t accept your phone because TSA does not have the scanner for that.
Just get here an hour early and you’ll be fine.

Tiny airport but hey it’s Durango!
Usually don’t have any problems here but weather can be an issue in the winter so beware. NEVER go through Denver if you have to connect because they always shut down that airport. I always go through Phoenix which is nice, clean and run well.
Only a few check in counters which usually don’t have a line so that’s good. Security is usually quick too so there’s no need to come super early. The little food place they have though is not good at all. I’d wait until I get to Durango to grab a bite to eat or bring something with you if you are flying out.

I’m pretty sure you can stand in one spot and look at everything that is in this airport. Yes it’s a small airport, but they get the job done.
The most important thing is make sure you are at least an hour before your flight. At 30 minutes prior to take-​off the employees have to leave the counters and work in the back. (load the plane & other various tasks that involves a safe take-​off.)
I failed to have a printed boarding pass & I’m too poor to own a smartphone. So needless to say I learned the lesson the hard way. I missed my flight because TSA said no pass no entry. When the United staff came back up front after seeing my flight off; they were very efficient and made sure I was put on the next available flight.
So those of you who think I’ll just go to the KIOSK and print my ticket will be left standing there waiting for the next flight.
The airlines that fly out of Durango are United, U.S. Airways, Frontier, & American. The plane I flew on looked like the size of a private jet. I was glad it was a jet versus a Cessna… if it was a prop plane all I could think of was the scene from La Bamba when Richie’s Mom finds out his plane didn’t make it. Richie!!!
Anyways, the shops/​food close up around 6:00pm, they have vending machines to satisfy the munchies. The restrooms are clean and all of the staff, even TSA are friendly.
Oh one more thing, if you a 1^st time flyer to this location, you won’t believe where it’s located. It’s nestled between the mountains, for a second I thought they just tow us to the peak and let go, hoping that gravity will give us enough momentum to take off.

The Durango-​La Plata County Airport is the premier (and only?) airport in the Colorado four corners area. DRO is small and is served by commuter jets and props representing Frontier, United, and US Air. Hence, all commercial air roads to and from Durango lead through either Denver or Phoenix.
There’s a local café and a decent gift shop in the public area, but once you’re past security, only a few vending machines are available. So it doesn’t pay to check in too early unless you have lots of reading material or have a screen to stare at. Folks here are friendly and all seem to know each other. They also do multiple jobs and seem to enjoy having you around.
DRO is also a long cab ride from Durango and not the easiest place to find directions-​wise. And it’s actually cheaper to rent a car if you want to go to town. You can also walk from the parking lot or your rental car spot and be in the terminal in less than a few minutes. There’s also no one chasing you off when you drop off your passengers and want to linger a bit.