PUEBLO — The Pueblo Memorial Airport is getting a new airline that will offer more flights to and from Denver. It's all part of the city's plan to revamp and improve the airport.
The small airport ended an agreement with the former airline, Southern Airways, back in August. The new airline plans to make travel to and from the Steel City easier.
The City of Pueblo has partnered with Denver Air Connections to be the new essential airline at the Pueblo Memorial Airport.
"Travel (is) stressful to begin with and just being able to have a regional airport that could take you to the bigger airport is just... so much better,” said Kerry Roman who lives in Pueblo.
Roman used to fly out of the Pueblo Memorial Airport years ago, but she said there were several issues with the previous airline.
"They had a tendency to cancel flights and to be delayed,” said Roman.
Roman said she did not trust it and decided it was easier to fly out of Denver International Airport (DIA). However, getting her husband to drive her all the way to DIA or hopping on the bus hasn't been convenient.
"It is a hassle to have to drive up to Denver from Pueblo,” said Roman.
The drive from Pueblo to DIA is around two hours with no traffic. But, a flight with Denver Air Connections (DAC), from the Pueblo Memorial Airport will take about 50 minutes.
"This is going to encourage me to travel more,” said Roman.
DAC will offer 12 weekly flights to and from Denver.
“Skipping I-25 is a definite benefit for a lot of us,” said Donielle Kitzman, Vice President of The Pueblo Chamber of Commerce.
Kitzman said these flights will help economic growth in Pueblo.
“We believe we're going to see increased visitation to Pueblo, increased spending into our community, increased hotel stays as a result of that,” said Kitzman. “Bringing business travelers in helps all of the industry at the Pueblo Memorial Airport and the surrounding areas.”
She said Pueblo County traveler spending in 2023 brought in $277 million.
“You expand upon and increase the jobs associated with tourism in Pueblo County. This is one great way to increase that economic impact,” said Kitzman.
As for travelers like Roman, they hope the new airline will bring convenience, and ease reliability back to flying in Pueblo.
“All I want is for you to get me from point A to point B on time and not cancel and leave me an alert,” said Roman.
Flights from Pueblo to Denver begin May 1.
Flight times include the following:
- Pueblo to Denver departure 8:00 a.m., arrival 8:50 a.m.
- Denver to Pueblo departure 5:35 p.m., arrival 6:25 p.m.
- Denver to Pueblo departure 11:45 a.m., arrival 12:35 p.m.
Pueblo to Denver departure 1:05 p.m., arrival 1:55 p.m.
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