Air service pays dividends to community

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EGE Air Alliance continues to attract new flights to Eagle County Regional Airport

The Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) is highly beneficial to the local Vail Valley economy. Visitors coming through EGE have a direct economic benefit on every community in Eagle County, through both visitation and/or through employment opportunities; our top second homeowner markets mirror our non-stop flight markets; and local businesses can save time (and often money) by utilizing EGE instead of Denver International.

In the last few years the airport has seen success – bringing in new flights from Toronto, Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Phoenix, and Washington DC. This not only brings in more visitors that benefit our local economy, but also provides more destinations for locals to fly to without having to drive to Denver International Airport and survive the unpredictable I-70 corridor.

This new and increased air service has been profitable to Eagle County. Approximately one-third of destination guests in Eagle County come in through the airport. These are valuable guests – research shows us they stay longer and spend more money than other visitors. Increased accessibility also allows flexibility for local employers to utilize EGE for connections to major markets, saving staff time and increasing productivity for our local workforce.

Thanks to the efforts of the non-profit EGE Air Alliance, this season new routes were brought to the Vail Valley (and there are plans to bring more routes to the county moving forward). First, our winter season successes: United Airlines began service from Washington, D.C. and American Airlines began service from Phoenix.

These winter routes – along with the Toronto service – have a significant return on investment to our community:

  • Toronto: 65% load factor and $985,396 economic impact
  • Washington DC: 71% load factor and $1,967,634 economic impact
  • Phoenix: 70% load factor and $4,379,011 economic impact

We’re also happy to report the summer Houston service will continue on United Airlines, and that American Airlines is expanding the Dallas service through October and November and giving us 10 months of service through this key business and leisure hub. These routes also have a significant return on investment:

  • Houston: 65% load factor; $1,667,762 economic impact
  • Dallas (fall): 60% load factor; $3,690,125 economic impact (estimated)

Together, these flights bring in over 9,327 passengers and create over $12.5 million in economic impact. These flights are made possible thanks to the efforts of the EGE Air Alliance, a nonprofit composed of a group of community members – both public and private – that work to secure a strong and vibrant air program in the Vail Valley.

Why focus on air service? Simple – because so much of our local economy, job market, and business depends upon the dollars spent by those who come through the Eagle County Regional Airport. Alliance members – public and private – recognize the positive impact that air service provides to our residents, our businesses, and our communities.

Here’s the kicker: none of these flights would be possible if it were not for the Air Alliance providing minimum revenue guarantees (MRG) to the airlines. MRG’s are necessary in the development of new air service, especially to rural and resort airports such as Eagle County (ditto other mountain resorts, and other season service).

Our relatively modest budget allows us to invest in MRG’s with the airlines in the range of $500-$600k per year, thus limiting our potential new flight service opportunities. Keep in mind that this investment returned $12.5 million in economic impacts – a spectacular return on investment of over $20 in economic actively created for every dollar invested in flight service development. Any business would continue to double down on products that had returns of 20/1 – and our community should double down on air service development and developing new flight markets.

EGE is also a benefit for residents & businesses; while often more expensive than flying from Denver, it is remarkably competitive for business travel when all costs (travel time, mileage reimbursement, parking) are taken into consideration.

The EGE Air Alliance and Eagle County Regional Airport continues to bring benefits to Eagle County businesses, residences, and communities, and our lack of comparable investment in our air service program presents a very real economic threat to our community. Flight development and adding new air service through minimum revenue guarantees is a proven model that drives our economy.

Chris Romer is president & CEO of Vail Valley Partnership, the regional chamber of commerce. Learn more at VailValleyPartnership.com