Frontier to begin Colorado routes earlier

By Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published February 26, 2008 at 7:01 p.m.

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Frontier Airlines is moving up the launch dates for most of its new Colorado destinations, a decision that will help the carrier use its turboprop aircraft more efficiently in the near term.

The homegrown discount carrier previously had announced it would start new flights between Denver and Aspen, Durango and Grand Junction on May 15. Now, it will begin flying to Durango on April 22, Aspen on April 26 and Grand Junction on May 1. Service to Colorado Springs still will begin April 15.

The company's Lynx Aviation subsidiary will operate the flights, branded under the Frontier name.

Frontier said it wants to get its new Q400 turboprop planes flying on Colorado routes as soon as possible, as that's one of the main reasons it ordered the aircraft to begin with. The carrier faced numerous delays last year in winning federal approval to operate the planes, forcing it to push back its first in-state destinations.

"These are the markets we've always said that we wanted the Q400s serving," said Frontier spokesman Joe Hodas. "Until we get these aircraft operating in these markets, they're operating at suboptimal level."

Frontier currently flies its Q400s to nearby cities outside of Colorado, such as Wichita. While it will continue to fly the turboprops to those cities going forward, the real value of the planes is their ability to serve Colorado mountain and resort towns that have little competition.

The company expects modest initial demand for the new routes because it is launching them during an off-peak period of the travel season.

"I imagine they'll start off a little slow because they're starting in spring," Hodas said. "It's just after ski season and just before summer so the demand is not as great."

walshc@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2744

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