Grand Junction Regional Airport Soaring To New Heights
Photos courtesy of Grand Junction Regional Airport
Grand Junction is an emerging hub of the West. Home to Colorado National Monument and Mesa County’s bountiful vineyards and outdoor recreation, it’s the largest city on the West Slope and is growing more in tech, real estate and overall population each year.
Grand Junction also serves as a travel point to destinations further west, from Salt Lake City and Las Vegas to Phoenix and beyond. With pandemic travel restrictions lifted, more and more West Slope locals are turning to aviation as the preferred form of travel to hit states finally opening their doors to visitors again.
Conveniently located just three miles northeast of Grand Junction sits Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT), the largest airport on the West Slope — and they say they’re ready to serve this season.
Under airport director Angela Padalecki, the airport has undertaken major improvement projects. In fact, last June it was awarded “2021 Colorado Airport of the Year” by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Division of Aeronautics.
“It’s a huge honor,” Padalecki says. “There are 76 public airports in Colorado, and I think this is just a testament to the dedication and the hard work that the staff at the airport and the airport board have put in over the years to really take the airport into the future.”
The Colorado Airport of the Year award is presented annually to recognize Colorado public-use airports that exhibit outstanding contributions to the Colorado Air & Space System. Qualifications include effective, consistent and proactive leadership, in addition to robust community support and benefit.
According to the 2020 Economic Impact Study of Colorado Airports, GJT is responsible for supporting 3,399 jobs and producing over $189.72 million in annual payroll, while generating $710.96 million in overall business revenue.
“The Grand Junction Regional Airport is one of our most important assets,” says Robin Brown, executive director of Grand Junction Economic Partnership. “Time and again, we hear from people that it was a deciding factor in choosing to relocate to the Grand Valley. That is why it is so exciting to see how it has grown and continues to grow and outperform its peers.”
Padalecki says the summer 2021 season was their busiest summer to date with more services than ever before and fares at an all-time low out of the airport.
Avelo Airlines, which has since suspended service, offered one-way fares as low as $19 to Hollywood Burbank Airport last summer. Avelo told Spoke+Blossom they will reevaluate returning to Grand Junction for the summer of 2022.
This fall season, five airlines currently offer airline service to seven destinations to and from GJT.
The goal of the airport is to mirror the warm western hospitality that prevails across Grand Junction.
“When people step off the plane, we tell them where they are,” Padalecki shares. “One of the first things we did is put up a huge photograph of Independence Monument. We worked with a local photographer and had him shoot this photo specifically because at an airport, like so many places, people are often looking down at their phones. One of the few places you can expect them to look up is while they’re going down an escalator — at least we hope that! And so, they look up and see this beautiful photo.”
She explains this vision has come to life in person a countless number of times. As passengers make their way to baggage claim, the photograph is still in sight, but just outside the exit doors is a view of Independence Monument in all its glory, instantly orienting visitors with where they’re at.
Apart from the improved ambiance, major construction projects included a new aircraft run-up area and the rehabilitation of the airport’s east air carrier aircraft apron. All efforts were fully supported with federal funding.
“Grand Junction is a hub for the region and that’s true from the aviation perspective as well,” Padalecki adds. “I’m proud of the broader team that works at the airport constantly rallying around our mission to help people travel safely and efficiently without complaining or barely even flinching when guidance was shifting from one thing to the next … I’m so impressed with their resiliency. If you pull back the curtain at the airport, I think the community would be exceptionally proud of the level of dedication that you see.”
Airlines Serving GJT for Fall 2021
Allegiant Air
Santa Ana, California
Las Vegas, Nevada
Mesa, Arizona
American Airlines
Dallas, Texas
Phoenix, Arizona
Delta Airlines
Salt Lake City, Utah
Frontier
Denver, Colorado
United
Denver, Colorado
2828 Walker Field Dr, Grand Junction, CO 81506
gjairport.com | 970.244.9100
Originally published in the Fall 2021 issue of Spoke+Blossom