Last week, the Aspen Pitkin County airport unveiled a series of upgrades just in time to accommodate holiday travelers.
Airport administrators moved their offices across the street, making way for 109 new seats in the lounge and expanded floor space. In hopes of easing traffic congestion, the airport also added 100 new parking spaces and a cell phone waiting lot.
Airport director John Kinney hopes those changes and the addition of "grab and go" food options will ease some passenger discomforts.
"More elbow room, a little bit better service and awareness of what creature comforts they could buy before they get onto their flight are the improvement points, which is exciting,” said Kinney.
He added that recent upgrades will help the airport handle crowds, but the facility will ultimately need more redevelopment to permanently accomodate the amount of travelers passing through.
“It is a really challenging experience to fly into and out of Aspen. I've heard people unfortunately start to say, you know what, Aspen is 'has been,' and we're not coming back again,” he said.
Kinney says he’s looking ahead to updates from the airport vision committee, which is wrapping up discussions on future expansions.
