FORT COLLINS — A $220,000 federal grant will help the Fort Collins-Loveland Airport develop a system that allows passengers to bypass ticketing and security checks at DIA.
The “Wingless Flight Program” allows ticketing, check-in and security screening at Fort Collins-Loveland for connecting services out of Denver International Airport. Passengers will then be bused to the concourse at DIA without any further security checks, according to officials.
Program benefits include reduced environmental impacts, traveler convenience and reduced capital investments at DIA, the airport says.
The “wingless flight” model may also be used at other airports across the country and help airlines grow regionally, say officials.
“This will encourage a paradigm shift by bringing in tourism dollars from Nevada and Arizona travelers, as well as future destinations where currently the trend is outward flow,” said Fort Collins-Loveland Airport director Jason Licon.
A 2009 market analysis said that as many as 160,000 people in northern Colorado drive to DIA to catch flights.
The airport was one of 29 out of 70 total applicants picked for funding by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The grant also will pay for a communications-and-marketing strategy to help persuade large employers in the region to use the airport, Licon said.
“The airport is enthusiastic about the economic-development potential that this grant has not only for the airport but for the cities of Fort Collins and Loveland and the entire northern Colorado region,” he said.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
