Airport expansion justifications are now in the theatre of the absurd. Direct from the article (Herald, Oct. 16), we hear that the “fast pace of growth for our airport will likely continue” immediately before reading about the 2.4 percent decline. The airport commissioners then wondered aloud why half of all the people in this region drive to Denver or Albuquerque with Commissioner Gary Derck stating that they “really don’t understand the root causes.”
Really? Round-trip tickets cost over $700 from Durango to Denver. Maybe the commissioners should actually ask the traveling public why they want to save hundreds of dollars by flying from a different airport. Their solution is to ask for $60,000 in order to fund a study of this mysterious phenomenon and to market their plans for expansion to the poorly misunderstood public. Commissioner Tom Greenhut’s mastermind suggestion to boost passenger numbers is to add the word “regional” to our airport name as if that somehow will offset the ridiculously high prices charged for flying direct from our wonderful little airport.
The ultimate solution they have come up with is to build a $150 million dollar behemoth terminal that will actually increase prices even further as we are taxed into supporting it and paying additional parking and ticket fees. Again, I ask, really?
Steven Thibodeaux
Ignacio
