As we approach the heart of ski season, it is important to analyze the impacts that travelers heading towards ski resorts have on the aviation industry as a whole, with millions flocking every year to some of the world’s highest-rated resorts. Across the globe, there are dozens of airports that serve as gateways to ski areas, and they are frequented by travelers looking to head up into the nearby mountains.
There are some airports that serve a singular resort, and these facilities often have extremely limited commercial flights and relatively few facilities. A good example of such a ski gateway airport would be Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE), which primarily is served by private jets and only has a few flights. Furthermore, the airport really only serves as an access point for travelers heading to the resorts in the Aspen area, and it is not a gateway for passengers heading to the Rockies as a whole.
When we are talking about ski resort gateway airports, we are talking about facilities like Geneva Airport (GVA) or Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO), facilities from which passengers could feasibly access many different ski mountains. These airports are usually large in scale and have year-round operations that go beyond just the peak ski season. These facilities are among some of the most important when it comes to handling ski traffic.
Salt Lake City and Denver are two of the nation’s most important ski gateway airports
For airlines, these such airports are essential, as ski travelers are typically a high-paying premium travel demographic, willing to pay higher prices for tickets, especially during the highest-demand weeks of the winter travel season. Therefore, dominating traffic at airports which are major ski gateways is essential for legacy carriers like United Airlines (UA) and Delta Air Lines (DL), both of which rely heavily on premium traffic.
Delta and United each have a major hub that serves as a winter gateway for ski travelers headed to nearby resorts. In this article, we will take a deeper look at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) and Denver International Airport (DEN), the two largest ski gateway airports in the United States and two critical hubs for these major airlines.
Denver offers convenient access to the Rockies
The state of Colorado is home to some of America’s highest-rated ski resorts, with over 40 mountains spinning lifts throughout the winter season. While many resorts like Telluride and Steamboat Springs are locked deep in the heart of the Rockies, there are a number of ski resorts that are located within a two-hour drive of Denver, including all of the following:
- Loveland Ski Area
- Arapahoe Basin Ski Resort
- Eldora Mountain Resort
- Winter Park Resort
- Breckenridge Ski Resort
In order to cater to passengers traveling to these popular resorts, alongside many others, legacy carrier United Airlines makes a strong effort to ensure that it offers efficient connections to destinations across the country from its Denver International Airport hub. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, United Airlines has a 39.1% market share at DEN, making it the largest airline at the facility ahead of second-placed Southwest.
The Chicago-based full-service network carrier operates flights to over 170 different destinations from Denver, and the airline has big plans to continue growing its network. In 2025, the airline will be launching service to six different destinations from Denver. Three of these will be new, year-round United Express flights that will offer a connection to the ski resort airport throughout the ski season.
Salt Lake City International Airport offers easy access to many resorts in the area
Denver may have service to more destinations than any other major ski gateway, but Salt Lake City is closer to the nearest resorts than DEN is. According to Ski Utah, there are 10 different resorts all within an hour’s drive of Salt Lake City International Airport. From the facility, one can be at some top-tier resorts like Snowbird within just about 40 minutes.
Delta Air Lines understands the value of this connectivity for passengers and has built an extensive network from its Salt Lake City hub. Delta operates all ten of the busiest domestic and international routes from SLC. The airline also flies more than 12 million passengers from the airport each year and has a 57% market share at the facility.
With three lengthy runways (and one shorter one), the airport can handle hundreds of daily flights. The airport also has room to expand and add more runways if necessary. Delta offers flights from Salt Lake City to destinations across the United States and the globe. However, passengers from some international connections may have to connect through a separate Delta hub to get to SLC.
Delta operates flights to 98 different destinations, and this includes those served by the airline’s regional subsidiary, Delta Connection. The majority of these are year-round services, and only four are seasonal flights.
However, the airline does have big plans to expand its offerings in 2025 at the ski resort airport. The airline will launch flights to Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) and will resume service to Fairbanks, Alaska. Additionally, Delta Connection will launch new nonstop flights to Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) in mid-February, during the height of ski season.
So what is the bottom line when it comes to SLC vs. DEN?
If you are looking to ski in Utah or Colorado, you can’t go wrong flying into Salt Lake City or Denver. It is more than likely that Delta or United will offer nonstop flights to these gateways from your nearest airport. And, if they do not, they will likely be easy enough to get to via a connecting flight.
United does offer more destinations from Denver than Delta does from Salt Lake City, however. This is likely because of United’s continued efforts to expand the footprint of its regional subsidiary, United Express. At the end of the day, if you are looking for the most efficient way to get on the slopes in Colorado or Utah, either ski resort airport will certainly be a great choice.
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