Skiing season just became a whole lot easier with Southwest's new daily route from Denver.
Denver locals love heading west towards the mountains to ski each weekend. What they don't love, however, is bumper-to-bumper traffic that comes with the road trip. Soon, Coloradans will have an easier and faster alternative to the congested roads—a direct flight.
Southwest Airlines announced on Monday, February 24, a plan to start seasonal daily flights between Denver and Steamboat Springs before the end of 2020.
The flights will be directly between Denver International Airport (DEN) and Yampa Valley Regional Airport (HDN).
Southwest Airlines will become the second airline offering a nonstop flight between the two cities. Currently, only United Express offers a direct flight between Denver and Steamboat Springs.
"Whether you're a skier, snowboarder, or just enjoy a winter wonderland, Steamboat Springs has something for everyone, and now you'll be able to reach the region on Southwest with a short, easy flight from Denver," said Adam Decaire, Southwest's Vice President of Network Planning. "We're looking forward to bringing our world-famous Hospitality paired with Customer-friendly policies like skis and snowboards fly free* closer to the slopes of the Rocky Mountains later this year."
In a press release on Monday, Southwest Airlines stated they wish to start the flights by the winter season of 2020, transitioning into the beginning of 2021.
Southwest, which allows up to two free checked bags, said that ski and snowboard equipment (one pair of skis or one snowboard, one set of poles, and a pair of boots) would count as one checked bag. This applies even if the equipment is tagged separately.
The airline intends on releasing additional information about the schedule and flight fares in the coming months, so keep an eye out!
What do you think? Will you be flying to Steamboat Springs to go skiing? Comment below.