Editor:

Citizens for Responsible Airport Development agree with Sheldon Fingerman’s premise that our commercial terminal should be a comfortable and welcoming facility. We believe our existing terminal is in need of serious help and is unsuitable in several aspects. But before we build a mega-mall for a commercial terminal, we would caution against using the past as a predictor of future needs for our terminal. In the last several years, airlines have slowly developed systems of communicating with individual air travelers that should significantly reduce congestion in commercial airport terminals. My daughter’s flight out of Aspen on Monday, March 26, was canceled four times yet she never once went to the airport until her flight was finally confirmed as operating. I was impressed.

We can only expect this technology and its use to improve. The airlines do not want hundreds of people in the terminal either and we can imagine a time in the not too distant future when “slot times” will actually be issued to individual passengers, that when met, will facilitate everything from baggage handling to security screening. Yes, there will still be weather situations that cause people to be stranded at the airport, and for that, they should be housed in a comfortable facility while they are delayed. We do not believe a two-story 80,000-square-foot building is needed to accomplish this task.

Cliff Runge
Citizens for Responsible Airport Development
Aspen