Business View Magazine | May 2019

148 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE MAY 2019 that there is a GA airport in Steamboat Springs, so there is some competition there, as well. “Certainly, whenever somebody in a general aviation aircraft decides to come to this area, they have a choice – they can go to the Steamboat Airport, which has a very short runway and limited capacity. Our advantage over that airport is our runway is more than twice as long as theirs; we have a more robust staff for snow removal; we have high terrain; and we have precision approaches. So, depending on how your aircraft is configured and the avionics that is has, I would say we’re a much safer airport to come and go in the wintertime or the summer. And the FAA recently redesigned some of our instrument approaches to lower the minimums on it, making it even safer to come and go from here.” Booth adds that the Airport is also growing its services, year over year. “We just brought in a fifth carrier this year; right now, we have service from United, America, Delta, Jet Blue, our new carrier, and Alaska Airlines. So, five of the top six or seven airlines in the country provide service here, seasonally, and United’s here year round with commercial service to Denver, and, typically, in the summertime, United will also provide direct service to Houston.” Yampa Valley is also convenient. “The U.S. highway between ourselves and downtown Steamboat is well-maintained in the winter; it takes about 25 minutes to drive it,” Booth remarks. “But, probably our biggest asset, besides being convenient, is we’re small and easy to get through; there are no long lines or delays; TSA is very responsive, as is our staff, as a whole. And I’m very proud of the level of customer service that we provide everywhere – from the restaurant, to the gift shop, to our passenger services folks, to our partners on the airline side. We really take good care of the people that come and go. I hear that all the time and it’s written all the time in comments. People love the Airport.” PREFERRED VENDOR n GO Alpine www.goalpine.com