I’m not sure what changed to make this possible, but Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) will finally be getting more comfortable commercial service!
In this post:
Aspen Airport will get service from Embraer jets
Aspen is of course an incredibly popular and high-end ski destination. The city’s airport isn’t very big, and also has challenging conditions, due to the big mountains in the area. As a result, most of the commercial air service at the airport is on the regional subsidiaries of the “big three” US carriers.
Not only that, but service is exclusively scheduled on Bombardier CRJ-700 aircraft, as Embraer E175s haven’t historically been allowed to fly to the airport. This has started to pose some issues for the airport’s future, given that many airlines are phasing out Bombardier regional jets, in favor of Embraer jets.
There’s an interesting development on this front, at least according to an update from an airline, as flagged by @IshrionA. United Airlines has revealed that it will start flying Embraer E175s to Aspen as of December 2024, through its United Express subsidiary. The airline plans to fly E175s to Aspen from Denver (DEN), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), and San Francisco (SFO), replacing CRJ-700s.
I assume this update isn’t coming out of nowhere, and presumably this also means that American Eagle and Delta Connection will make similar announcements soon. This is fantastic news in terms of passenger experience, since the Embraer E175 is a pleasure to fly. It has real big jet energy, without the middle seats.
Aspen Airport’s expansion drama
Just a few weeks ago, I wrote about the debate over Aspen Airport’s future. In a narrative that’s all too familiar in many communities, some (particularly wealthy) locals in Aspen don’t want the airport to grow, as they want to limit access to the city. However, expanding air traffic to a city is of course objectively good for the economy.
The challenge in Aspen has been that the airport has needed some major upgrades in order to accommodate larger jets, including updates to the taxiways and runway. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was threatening to withhold funding if local authorities weren’t willing to get onboard with improvement projects.
What’s interesting with this development is that I’m not sure what exactly changed between now and a few weeks ago, because it was my understanding that Embraer E175s still weren’t allowed to fly to the airport. I guess something has finally improved when it comes to the ability to operate the Embraer E175 to Aspen, and this also means the airport’s long term future is no longer in question.
Bottom line
As of December 2024, Aspen Airport is finally expected to get service from Embraer E175s, with United Airlines being the first to fly these jets to the airport. This is a major development, as historically the airport has been restricted primarily to Bombardier CRJ-700 aircraft.
I’m not sure what exactly changed that now allowed this, but regardless, I’m happy to see it!
What do you make of this Aspen Airport development?
If only AA would allow the E75s to go to the main terminal instead of the "eagle's nest" at LAX it would be even better
By far the most comfortable plane that flew into ASE was the Northwest RJ85 (operated by Mesaba Airlines). The NW pilot scope clause limited the plane to 76 (75?) seats, so it had a large first class cabin and it was extremely roomy in coach. The RJ85 flew numerous routes on NW, and was so comfortable that a few corporate clients in places like Kalamazoo requested the plane on all flights operating from their airport. I miss flying on it.
ASE is challenging in many ways: nominal runway elevation 7820', and the clouds have rocks in them. ASE combines a box canyon, simultaneous opposite direction operations, high terrain on all sides, 14000' peaks nearby, and notoriously erratic winds and weather. During 1964-2022, NTSB investigated ASE-related accidents and incidents with 36 fatal crashes, 120 deaths, 36 serious injuries, and 41 destroyed aircraft, all involving GA. Most implicated deficient pilot proficiency, mountain experience, and local familiarity. In...
ASE is challenging in many ways: nominal runway elevation 7820', and the clouds have rocks in them. ASE combines a box canyon, simultaneous opposite direction operations, high terrain on all sides, 14000' peaks nearby, and notoriously erratic winds and weather. During 1964-2022, NTSB investigated ASE-related accidents and incidents with 36 fatal crashes, 120 deaths, 36 serious injuries, and 41 destroyed aircraft, all involving GA. Most implicated deficient pilot proficiency, mountain experience, and local familiarity. In striking contrast, SkyWest's fine safety culture has yielded zero commercial aircraft accidents.
E175 service is welcome in Aspen if United can make this reversible marketing experiment work year-round. The big issue will be sustaining full summer service in hot/high conditions at our density altitude. (One-engine climb certification is not yet announced, and the underwing rather than fuselage-mounted engines increase yaw moment, making maneuver/extrication harder.)
If that succeeds, UA's phaseover from CRJ700 to E175LR-EWT is to take several years. UA's scope clause will require moving each displaced CRJ700 (19 serve UA/ASE) to another route. Those planes were made in 2010, one of the world's youngest CRJ700 fleets, so they'll be snapped up for decades of further productive flying.
The original rationale for needing bigger planes in ASE and raising the wingspan limit from 95' to 118' for full ADG(III) compliance—imminent CRJ700 aging-out with no regional-jet alternative--is now revealed as false in both parts, so the case just vanished. Whether Pitkin County Govt will acknowledge that is more doubtful, as they and the FAA both want expansion, albeit for different reasons. The FAA, in unusually coercive fashion is demanding airfield redesign for A220-300s, which aren't certified to fly to ASE, may lack the needed agility, and in the personal opinion of the County's lead forecaster will never fly there. The A220-100 is less unwelcome, but none of the three airlines for whom SkyWest operates at ASE has asked for planes bigger than the reliable and profitable regional jets they have.
Both the CRJ700 and the E175 fit today's airfield. The 95' limit and associated MoS for 320' runway/taxiway separation have worked fine for a quarter-century and there's no rational case to change them. The forecasted access gains would be tiny and the community risks substantial. Contrary to the author's uninformed comment, bringing more people into Aspen is unhelpful and unwise: it has perhaps the most constrained land and land-use in the country, no space for more housing, and serious issues of crowding and overdevelopment. Voters in November will decide whether to require a vote of people before letting in bigger planes. Sentiment seems strongly against that.
To help resolve widespread public and official confusion, an independent nonprofit I launched two years ago, Aspen Fly Right, posts carefully researched and documented information at aspenflyright.org, including a book-length collection of documented topical essays and scores of shorter formats. That website will be renewed in the next few days. Happy reading! -- Amory B. Lovins
America’s most premium airline, United, flying the best RJ, into a premium market airport. Max premiumness - no one else pulls this off.
@Ben - you can find out more here - https://airportcoalition.com
Can that airport handle 757s? I vaguely remember checking my brother’s flight status of EWR => SFO on March 14, 2020 (lol) and being surprised the incoming plane to EWR was originating in Aspen iirc
I'd be very surprised if that were correct. The airport is tiny and, as Ben says in the post, commercial service is "exclusively" by CRJs.
No. Maybe you're thinking of Eagle/Vail (EGE), just up the road? Or Jackson, WY (JAC)?
Traveling public/local economy/airlines: 1
NIMBYs: 0
very very glad that Aspen was able to overcome pervasive NIMBYism
From what I understand, the 175 could have gone into Aspen all this time. The plane itself needed a software modification to change the engine parameters to be able to fulfill the performance requirements for approach and rejected landings. The cost apparent was 7 figures per plane and United finally decided to pay for the mod.
Huh, fascinating. I'd love to hear more about this. I was under the impression it was a valley width and wingtip clearence issue.
All airline flights operated into Aspen for United, Delta, and American, are all operated by SkyWest Airlines. The issues with the E175 and performance were related to single engine climb performance and SkyWest has been working on overcoming these issues with the E175 in Aspen since 2017.
Same issues exist in Santa Fe, both sizes of jets and airport modernization.
Hey Ben, Take a look at today's Aspen Daily News online edition. It looks like this is an issue between the FAA and the local county officials. FAA allows a variance for the narrow spacing of the Aspen taxiway and runway that the E175 barely meets, but they were threatening to withdraw it should the county decline to take federal funds that would support a runway rebuild that increases the spacing from 320 to 400...
Hey Ben, Take a look at today's Aspen Daily News online edition. It looks like this is an issue between the FAA and the local county officials. FAA allows a variance for the narrow spacing of the Aspen taxiway and runway that the E175 barely meets, but they were threatening to withdraw it should the county decline to take federal funds that would support a runway rebuild that increases the spacing from 320 to 400 feet. The county commissioners voted to committ to the new spacing and will take the funding for the rebuild. I guess the airlines were scheduling CJ700s in case the FAA variance evaporated, but now are confident it won't.
The locals (taxpayers and government)keep wanting to stop any expansions but it makes it hard for all people to get out of there... It is also pretty $$$$$ United= ASE-DEN_ASE in economy can be upwards of $1400
Unusual problem; "No, no, you evil Feds! We don't want your millions of dollars!"
What is really the difference between a CR7 and a E175? Both have first class, neither of them have middle seats and both have the range to handle the current flight schedules from ASE? Is it just "big jet energy"?
@ Tom -- While the planes have similar capacity and serve similar missions, I find the E175 to be much more comfortable. The cabin and seats are wider, the overhead bins and lavatories are larger, the plane feels more modern, etc. To me it's a very different flying experience.
The biggest thing other than comfort is a lot more cargo room underneath. Aspen flights are always heavy out of Denver. On a CRJ700 we can squeeze in 75-90 really depends on how many skis we get. With the 175 there’s two cargo pits and each can comfortably fit 80 bags so this is a really nice update for us on the ramp.
The E175 has a larger cabin. The E170/175/190/195 has an oval shape up and down that gives it plenty of headroom and leg room. The CRJ fuselage starts curving in significantly below the knee and restricts leg room as well.
From a passenger point of view, the E175 is one of the nicest planes to ride on for short routes, probably tied with a A220 (although personally, I would still take the Embraer over A220 because I love the single seat option in first class).
CRJ 700, on the other hand, is one of the least pleasant ways to spend time in the air. Aging aircraft with uncomfortable seats, small windows, and lack of...
From a passenger point of view, the E175 is one of the nicest planes to ride on for short routes, probably tied with a A220 (although personally, I would still take the Embraer over A220 because I love the single seat option in first class).
CRJ 700, on the other hand, is one of the least pleasant ways to spend time in the air. Aging aircraft with uncomfortable seats, small windows, and lack of storage space. They also just feel… cramped… in a way the Embraer doesn’t.
I hope this will pressure American Airlines to do the same from ORD and elsewhere; replacing their CRJ-700's.
That would be nice indeed. I think it is slowly happening. My old regional airport in the Midwest finally got its American Eagle planes swapped… and it was a fairly small city.
Big jet energy LOL