The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Low, introductory fares for first week of sales
By Alissa Johnson
The ink on a new airline contract is dry, and direct flights between Los Angeles International Airport and the Gunnison–Crested Butte Regional Airport are on sale now for the 2015-2016 ski season. Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) and the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) this week announced the new flight, which is being carried by Alaska Airlines.
The new service includes two flights a week, scheduled for Wednesdays and Saturdays beginning December 16 of this year through March 26, 2016. Erica Mueller, CBMR’s director of innovations and relations, said the LA market is a new one for the resort.
“After a lot of research, we found that LA was one of the top destination skier markets. It’s small for us in Crested Butte but big for a lot of our competitors. It’s encouraging that a lot of the people in that area travel to ski,” Mueller told the News.
In a press release, CBMR vice president of sales and marketing Scott Clarkson confirmed, “Nationally, Los Angeles is the number one domestic market for destination skiers and snowboarders.”
Alaska Airlines introduced the flight this week with special fares starting at $119 one-way when tickets are booked within seven days of the June 30 announcement. CBMR is also offering special lodging rates to incentivize early booking, with up to 30 percent off lodging booked before August 15.
When it comes to filling the new flights, Mueller said Alaska Airlines has been great to work with.
“They really do function more as a marketing partner,” she said. And while the resort is still developing its air promotions for next winter, Mueller expects promotions to tie in with what she calls “early seating efforts” to get people to book trips to Crested Butte as early as possible.
For now, there is a lot of optimism about the new flight, which will require only three hours of travel time, offer great travel opportunities for locals, and fill a niche identified by industry experts. At a recent community meeting hosted by CBMR and the RTA, air consultant Jeff Hartz of Mead & Hunt identified LA as one of the best opportunities to expand service into the regional airport. With over a decade of experience, including five years with Crested Butte Airlines, Hartz made it sound like an obvious choice.
“It’s a massive population base. You’re talking 20 million people that utilize Los Angeles Airport. So unlike New York, which is fractured so greatly among three airports, LA is not fractured at all. LAX is the big dog in town,” Hartz said.
Mueller said the overlap between Hartz’ recommendations and CBMR’s pursuit of the LA market was encouraging. “That was a reaffirmation that we’re negotiating in the right spot in the market,” Mueller said.
For flight schedules and fares, visit www.alaskaair.com. Travel arrangements can also be made by calling Crested Butte Vacations at 1-844-993-9545, where guests can receive up to 30 percent off lodging if booked by August 15, 2015.
