Hello Amanda,

Summer is here and there is no better place to spend it than the Yampa Valley! We look forward to hosting visitors to enjoy hiking, biking, tubing, fishing, our Saturday Farmer’s Markets, Friday and Saturday nights at the Pro Rodeo Series, the Steamboat Free Summer Concerts at the base of Howelsen Hill and the many other attractions in and around Routt County.

June was a month of meaningful transitions at the airport, marked by the departures of two respected leaders: OSS Superintendent Colin Walt and Airport Director Kevin Booth.

Colin resigned from his position to pursue his dream of becoming a commercial pilot. While we are sad to see him go, we are excited for his next chapter and hope to see him flying into Yampa Valley Regional Airport in the years ahead.

Kevin’s retirement marks the end of an era after more than a decade of dedicated service. His leadership and vision have had a profound impact on the airport's growth and reputation. One of the many highlights of his tenure was the airport receiving the 2025 Colorado Airport of the Year Award from the Colorado Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics. This award recognizes outstanding leadership, operational excellence, and community engagement—all of which are a testament to Kevin’s commitment to making Yampa Valley Regional Airport one of the premier regional airports in the state.

We extend our sincere gratitude to both Colin and Kevin and wish them the very best in their future endeavors.

As we bid farewell, we also welcome a new face to the Airport Team: K.C. Hume, who has joined us as the new OSS Superintendent, stepping into the role previously held by Colin. We’re excited to have K.C. on board and look forward to the experience and leadership he brings to the team.

In addition, we are pleased to welcome Tinneal Gerber into the role as Airport Director. She brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in aviation management, public finance, and capital planning. Most recently, she served as Assistant Airport Director at YVRA, working alongside Kevin. Congratulations Tinneal!

From left to right: Tinneal Gerber, Tim Redmond, Kevin Booth, Jay Harrington and Sonja Macys at Kevin's recent retirement celebration.

United and Southwest Airlines, our two year-round airline partners, have loaded their available flights for the spring, summer and fall seasons for booking; more info below. This non-winter season includes increased capacity on multiple daily direct flights to/from Denver (DEN) on United and Southwest; the return of summer/weekend direct flights to/from Houston (IAH) on United (starts June 13), and for the first time the addition of summer Saturday direct flights to/from Los Angeles (LAX) on United (started June 14). The latest 2025 flight schedules can be found online and below; the flight schedules are subject to change throughout the season. 

Traveler Tips:

• United Airlines implemented a new check-in policy, which requires all domestic passengers to check in for their flight at least 45 minutes before departure. The change from 30 minutes, which impacts those traveling without checked luggage, took effect on June 3.
• TSA now requires REAL ID for passengers at the TSA checkpoint. A valid passport will also meet the REAL ID requirement; all travelers without REAL ID will be subject to additional screening at the checkpoint; all details about REAL ID are available online. 
• From April through November we recommend our passengers and transportation providers plan arrivals at the airport a minimum of 1.5 hours prior to scheduled departure times. We also recommend planning your connecting flights for a minimum of 1.5 to 2 hours between arrival and departure; summer months often bring weather delays to and from DEN due to winds and thunderstorms in the Denver area.
• Our 3 Wire Restaurant is open daily from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm; operating hours are adjusted to accommodate flight schedule changes and the restaurant typically opens two hours prior to the first commercial takeoff; find more information about 3 Wire Restaurant online.
• Uber and Lyft availability is very limited at HDN; travelers are reminded and encouraged to book ground transportation to/from Steamboat Springs in advance. Find all ground transportation options online.

Please don’t forget about the option, through our partnership with The Good Traveler program, to purchase carbon offsets for your flights. This partnership allows individuals and businesses the option and opportunity to offset the carbon footprint of their air travel to and from YVRA through mileage-based charitable donations to hyper-local projects working to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Terminal Expansion and Enhancement: The foundation of our expanded terminal design is the Terminal Area Plan (TAP). The TAP identified the need to more than double the terminal size in three distinct phases. Phase 1 includes: four new, second floor gates all served by passenger boarding bridges, expanded concessions for those gates, and an increased baggage handling/scanning facility. Phase 2 will significantly expand the terminal baggage claim and ground transportation areas; Phase 3 will increase the TSA checkpoint size, ticketing/departures area, and repurpose some current gate space for more concessions. All of the YVRA TAP documents are available online; the HDN TAP Executive Summary can be found online. Based on the TAP the FAA awarded a $2.5M grant for design of Phase 1 of our Terminal Expansion Project in September 2024; the team of Woolpert (engineers) and Gensler (architects) was selected for the project and are hard at work on the design. We also selected The Weitz Company as the Construction Manager at Risk. Project bid is currently scheduled for January 2026 with construction start in April 2026! We’re in design development for Phase 1; see below for the latest architectural renderings.

Taxiway A & B Rehabilitation Project: United Companies started this major construction project on the “airside” of the airport on June 2, 2025. The project scope includes rehabilitation of our 10,000’ long x 75’ wide Taxiway A and existing connectors (in blue below), new Taxiway A lighting, construction of a blast pad on the eastern end of the runway and the addition of a new A2 runway/taxiway connector (see easternmost connector on the bottom diagram below in pink). Taxiway B will also be widened (from 35’ to 50’), strengthened and lighted. The project will not impact any of our scheduled airline operations or include any runway closures during normal commercial aircraft operating hours (6:00 am-9:00 pm). Some of the work will be accomplished during night runway closures. The project is being funded primarily by a $10.1M FAA grant, $1.1M from airport reserves and $250K from the State; scheduled completion is NLT October 31, 2025.

Aviation Business Park (ABP): Our recently completed General Aviation Development Plan facilitates and encourages future aviation-related business development at the airport and should produce important new services and more good paying jobs. Phase 1 of the project has already been awarded and Tally Ho Construction has completed the foundations and most utilities for eight (8) new hangars (see current drawing and photos below). Foundations, structural steel and roof on Hangar A and B are complete and the doors are complete on Hangar B.

Aviation Business Park Phase 1

Aviation Business Park Phase 1 Hangar A – Open Bay 120’x240’

Aviation Business Park Phase 1 Hangar B Building – 120’x240’ with three 80’X60’ hangars (on west side) and four 60’x60’ hangars

(4 ea. on east side)

Aviation Business Park Concept & Phase 1 Construction

EV Charger Project: Our EV chargers are installed and fully operational in both our paid and employee parking lots. These are pay-as-you-go chargers from ChargePoint and fees are $0.99 per session plus $0.15 per kWh. For additional information about electric plug-in stations, please visit https://driver.chargepoint.com and type “HDN” in the “enter the location” box.

Northwest Colorado Business Park (NWCOBP): This is a Town of Hayden project and is not strictly an airport improvement; that said, it is expected to attract light industrial business and is located adjacent to the Yampa Valley Regional Airport (YVRA). The project is nearing completion with a total inventory of 13 lots ranging in size from 2 to 5 acres. Per the attached diagram the Park’s primary access road is planned for extension north to connect to Highway 40 and serve as YVRA’s primary airport access road. $1.5M in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) has recently been allocated to construct the extension; design was planned for 2025 with construction to be completed in 2026, but the schedule is dependent of CDS funding that in not yet available. This project will utilize an existing and robust intersection at Highway 40, currently serving pit operations and will be a major safety improvement for all airport users.

Mobile Pay: The Yampa Valley Regional Airport has implemented Mobile Pay, a new way to process payments for parking in the Long Term Parking Lot. With Mobile Pay, paying is easier than ever before. No cash, no cards, no long queues: Customers simply complete the process online via their smartphone. With their smartphone camera, the customer scans the QR code on their parking ticket and immediately is directed to the payment page. Once the payment is complete, the customer exits directly with their ticket. The hurdle of having to install your own app or register online is completely eliminated with Mobile Pay. Every smartphone user with a mobile or online payment method can use this service directly and easily.

Economic Impact of the Yampa Valley Regional Airport: YVRA provides year-round commercial, business jet, general aviation, air freight and medevac services to our community. These services make the airport a significant economic driver for the Yampa Valley communities. Every five years the Colorado Division of Aeronautics funds a Colorado Aviation Economic Impact Study (CEIS) and the 2025 version was published on February 21, 2025; the YVRA brochure is below and more info on the CEIS is available online.

REAL ID went into effect on Wednesday, May 7, 2025; all details about REAL ID are available online.

Digital IDs are now accepted at YVRA/HDN

Digital ID Map | Transportation Security Administration

What are digital IDs and mobile driver’s licenses? A digital ID is an electronic representation of personally identifying information that may be used to verify the identity of a person. A mobile driver's license is a type of digital ID. It is a digital representation of the information contained on a state-issued physical driver’s license, stored on a mobile electronic device, such as a smartphone, and read electronically. A mobile driver’s license is similar to a credit card holder having a physical credit card and multiple card records in digital wallets that require biometric verification prior to each transaction. A digital ID may also be issued by a non-governmental entity based on information derived from governmental or non-governmental sources.

Colorado ID on iPhone and Apple Watch | Department of Revenue - Motor Vehicle

Digital ID Map | Transportation Security Administration

2 Easy Steps to TSA PreCheck:

1. Apply online: Submit an online application and schedule an appointment.
2. Get your Known Traveler Number (KTN): Most travelers get their KTN in three to five days.

What is TSA PreCheck? TSA PreCheck was created to provide low-risk travelers with a smoother experience at the airport security passenger checkpoint. The program is open to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.

The TSA PreCheck program is a great option for frequent travelers looking to save time during the airport security process. There is a $78 enrollment application fee, which covers five years of participation, if approved.

Why Should I Enroll?

• VIP experience: Exclusive access to dedicated screening lanes at 200+ U.S. airports.
• Pack just once: No need to remove shoes, laptops, 3-1-1 liquids, belts, or light jackets.
• Families welcome: Kids 17 and under tag along with enrolled parents/guardians for free.
• Your time is valuable: Most TSA PreCheck passengers wait less than five minutes in line.

We hope you take advantage of this great service and look forward to seeing you soon!

YVRA is currently advertising two positions. 

• Assistant Airport Director - $137,863.75-$181,862.83
• Passenger Service Shuttle Bus Driver - $42.00/hr

To stay informed about job opportunities or to apply for any positions please visit our Employment Opportunities webpage.  

For questions about the application process please contact us at 970.276.5003.