{"id":2458987,"date":"2020-05-29T10:48:21","date_gmt":"2020-05-29T16:48:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=326654"},"modified":"2020-05-29T10:48:21","modified_gmt":"2020-05-29T16:48:21","slug":"coronavirus-created-the-shortest-commercial-jet-flight-in-the-country-eagle-to-aspen-but-it-wont-last","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/coronavirus-created-the-shortest-commercial-jet-flight-in-the-country-eagle-to-aspen-but-it-wont-last\/","title":{"rendered":"Coronavirus created the shortest commercial jet flight in the country \u2014 Eagle to Aspen. But it won\u2019t last."},"content":{"rendered":"<div readability=\"43.447120418848\">\n<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.8002195389682\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-326654-435\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled gallery-container\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/IMG_7801-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/IMG_7801-1-768x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Jason Blevins\/The Colorado Sun | American Airlines SkyWest Flight 2985 uses a Bombardier CRJ700 for its temporary \u201cmountain hopper\u201d flight from Dallas to Eagle, seen here, where it continues to Aspen and Montrose before returning to Dallas.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>American Airlines SkyWest Flight 2985 uses a Bombardier CRJ700 for its temporary \u201cmountain hopper\u201d flight from Dallas to Eagle, seen here, where it continues to Aspen and Montrose before returning to Dallas.<\/strong><br \/>Jason Blevins\/The Colorado Sun<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/IMG_7801-1-768x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"American Airlines SkyWest Flight 2985 uses a Bombardier CRJ700 for its temporary \u201cmountain hopper\u201d flight from Dallas to Eagle, seen here, where it continues to Aspen and Montrose before returning to Dallas. \"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/IMG_7802-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/IMG_7802-1-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Jason Blevins\/The Colorado Sun | The SkyWest \/ American Airlines Flight 2986 includes a 29-mile jaunt from Eagle to Aspen.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>The SkyWest \/ American Airlines Flight 2986 includes a 29-mile jaunt from Eagle to Aspen.<\/strong><br \/>Jason Blevins\/The Colorado Sun<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/IMG_7802-1-1024x768.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"The SkyWest \/ American Airlines Flight 2986 includes a 29-mile jaunt from Eagle to Aspen.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/IMG_7855-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/IMG_7855-1-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Jason Blevins\/The Colorado Sun | A volunteer distributes masks and local health rule information at the Aspen airport on Memorial Day.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>A volunteer distributes masks and local health rule information at the Aspen airport on Memorial Day.<\/strong><br \/>Jason Blevins\/The Colorado Sun<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/IMG_7855-1-1024x768.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"A volunteer distributes masks and local health rule information at the Aspen airport on Memorial Day.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/IMG_7859-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/IMG_7859-1-1024x751.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Jason Blevins\/The Colorado Sun | The Aspen airport had 15 private jets parked on the tarmac on Memorial Day, an indication that second homeowners were beginning to gather at their mountain retreats after weeks of closures in Pitkin County.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>The Aspen airport had 15 private jets parked on the tarmac on Memorial Day, an indication that second homeowners were beginning to gather at their mountain retreats after weeks of closures in Pitkin County.<\/strong><br \/>Jason Blevins\/The Colorado Sun<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/IMG_7859-1-1024x751.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"The Aspen airport had 15 private jets parked on the tarmac on Memorial Day, an indication that second homeowners were beginning to gather at their mountain retreats after weeks of closures in Pitkin County. \"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/IMG_7844-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/IMG_7844-1-1024x898.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Jason Blevins\/The Colorado Sun | A fresh coat of snow covers the Elks\u2019 Snowmass Mountain and Capitol Peak above the Town of Snowmass on Memorial Day.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>A fresh coat of snow covers the Elks\u2019 Snowmass Mountain and Capitol Peak above the Town of Snowmass on Memorial Day.<\/strong><br \/>Jason Blevins\/The Colorado Sun<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/IMG_7844-1-1024x898.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"A fresh coat of snow covers the Elks\u2019 Snowmass Mountain and Capitol Peak above the Town of Snowmass on Memorial Day.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/coronavirus-created-the-shortest-commercial-jet-flight-in-the-country-eagle-to-aspen-but-it-wont-last\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/coronavirus-created-the-shortest-commercial-jet-flight-in-the-country-eagle-to-aspen-but-it-wont-last\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>GYPSUM \u2013 The flight from Eagle County to Aspen, at 29 miles, is the shortest commercial jet flight in the country. At $29 a ticket ($45 with fees and taxes) it\u2019s hardly a moneymaker for American Airlines. But the temporary flight keeps the airline in good graces with the U.S. Department of Transportation, which requires airlines to maintain minimum levels of service into regional airports as part of a $58 billion airline coronavirus relief package included in the government\u2019s late March CARES Act.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In the past month, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/sites\/dot.gov\/files\/2020-05\/Frontier%20Final%20042520%20FINAL%20ISSUED.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DOT has allowed some airlines<\/a>&nbsp;to suspend service after showing the agency how&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2020\/05\/11\/airlines-colorado-small-airports-cutbacks-coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fleets of empty planes are crossing the country<\/a>&nbsp;just to meet the CARES Act requirements. American Airlines&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ch-aviation.com\/portal\/news\/89482-us-dot-responds-to-requests-for-cares-exemptions-27apr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">did not win that exemption<\/a>, so five days a week Flight 2986 soars from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Eagle, then Aspen and Montrose before returning to Dallas.<\/p>\n<p>A couple of people get off the plane in Gypsum and about six passengers board, with the gate attendant rolling through the boarding sequence of Group 1 to Group 8 in less than 10 seconds. There are maybe 21 people aboard the 17-row, 64-seat jet. The scattered array of passengers are part of a new pandemic-orchestrated seating plan that keeps everyone safely distanced.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWelcome to our continuing mountain town tour,\u201d the pilot says over the intercom as passengers settle.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>He\u2019s the leader of a SkyWest flight crew that operates flights on behalf of American Airlines. All of them are \u201cAspen certified.\u201d This means they have been specifically trained for this next leg, which threads a narrow shot up the Roaring Fork Valley into Aspen\u2019s Sardy Field.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Read the full story via&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2020\/05\/28\/shortest-commercial-flight-coronavirus-cares-act-eagle-aspen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Colorado Sun<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em class>The&nbsp;Colorado&nbsp;Sun&nbsp;is a reader-supported news organization dedicated to covering the people, places and policies that matter in&nbsp;Colorado. Read more, sign up for free newsletters and subscribe at&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.coloradosun.com\/\" class><em class>coloradosun.com<\/em><\/a><em class>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div readability=\"11.303082191781\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-7 pt-3 pb-4 at-4 pl-4\" readability=\"19.164371772806\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>Readers around Aspen and Snowmass Village make the Aspen Times\u2019 work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><button class=\"btn\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickBelow()\">Donate<\/button> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/coronavirus-created-the-shortest-commercial-jet-flight-in-the-country-eagle-to-aspen-but-it-wont-last\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>American Airlines SkyWest Flight 2985 uses a Bombardier CRJ700 for its temporary \u201cmountain hopper\u201d flight from Dallas to Eagle, seen here, where it continues to Aspen and Montrose before returning to Dallas.Jason Blevins\/The Colorado Sun The SkyWest \/ American Airlines Flight 2986 includes a 29-mile jaunt from Eagle to Aspen.Jason Blevins\/The Colorado Sun A volunteer [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2458987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-17 05:18:37","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2458987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458987\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2458987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2458987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2458987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}