Recently, I had to fly from Durango to Denver for business. I have done everything I can over the last couple years to avoid this, but I simply had to get there in less than seven hours. I booked a ticket more than seven days ahead of time to save a little – no last-minute stuff and higher prices, right? The ticket cost more than $500 to fly about 46 minutes. Two years ago, when I came down here for an interview, my flight on Frontier cost all of $176. Frontier used to serve Durango and had daily flights; none of the horror we hear about now.

So my letter is about the why! What happened to our happy little world here that now we have to pay more than a fare to Central America, or Cabo or a host of other fun places to go? We now have United and American, at least eight flights a day that I could see, fuel that is at a 10-year low and more demand. Would some expert out there please tell me what we pay this price for? I know most of us would say, “You dummy, it is just simple greed. If you charge it and they pay it that is fair.” But I am way too smart for that. There must be some technical reason we are charged all that money, right? It must cost United and American much more to run planes here. The one I flew was a Boeing 737, and now they fly these neat little regional jets that must be so much more expensive. Or it must be all that extra staff that works now compared with before, right?

Please, one of you experts with Durango-La Plata County Airport, tell me why. And while you’re at it, tell me how $60-plus million of taxpayers’ money will make it more affordable for an average person from Durango to buy a plane ticket from this new shiny place.

Jim Jones

Durango