Nonstop flights between Durango and Houston will return this summer with twice-weekly service, Durango-La Plata County Airport announced Thursday.
United Airlines will operate a 76-seat Embraer E-175 aircraft on Saturdays and Sundays from May 25 to Aug. 18.
The route will provide Durango residents with greater access to the Houston area, as well as connections throughout the southeastern United States and destinations in Latin America, said Tony Vicari, aviation director at Durango-La Plata County Airport.
It will also provide visitors from Southeast Texas with nonstop access to Durango during the summer recreation season.
“Strong demand exists between the Four Corners region and Southeast Texas, and United Airlines is responding to travelers’ requests for additional nonstop destinations to and from Durango during peak summer travel months,” Vicari said in a news release.
United provided a similar service last summer between Houston and Durango.
“The service had pretty strong performance, which was very encouraging,” Vicari said in an interview. “United was pleased with the response they saw last year and was excited to bring it back this year.”
Strong demand this summer could go a long way toward extending the seasonal service or even shifting it to something that more closely resembles daily service, he said.
“It’s a big jump to do that,” Vicari said. “It’s a lot of additional seat capacity and investment from an airline, but we’re hopeful that we see good performance and demand again on the Houston route this summer.”
Houston and Durango have lingering business ties as a result of the gas industry. While natural gas extraction has diminished over the years, some of those business ties still remain, Vicari said.
Some Houston residents took up part-time residency in Durango, formed friendships in the area or discovered Southwest Colorado’s many recreational amenities during their work in the oil and gas industry, he said.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston was the 15th busiest airport in the country as of last year and is a significant connecting hub for United Airlines.
In addition to seasonal flights, United operates five daily flights between Durango and Denver International Airport on a year-round basis.
DRO, which is also served by American Airlines, offers year-round daily nonstop routes to Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver and Phoenix. The airport served more than 430,000 total passengers in 2023.
shane@durangoherald.com
