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31-417: Monarch Airlines started flying to Montrose in the 1940s. Successor Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) flew to the present airport since the 1950s; the first jets were Frontier Boeing 737-200s in 1982 (runway 12/30 was then 8500 ft). Earlier, Frontier flew Convair 580s between Montrose and Denver. An enhanced and expanded Montrose Regional Airport was dedicated on June 25, 1988, with Chuck Yeager cutting

62-419: A Texas Air Corp. unit, acquired People Express Airlines which had acquired Frontier Airlines the year before. Both merged into Continental on February 1, 1987, along with New York Air and several commuter airline subsidiaries including Britt Airways and Provincetown-Boston Airlines (PBA). Frontier's failure doomed People Express, New York Air, and several commuter air carriers. It would take years to settle

93-494: A revised design—the Model 240. This had a longer but thinner fuselage than the Model 110, accommodating 40 passengers in the first pressurized, twin-engined airliner. The 240 first flew on March 16, 1947. The Model 240 was followed by the Model 340, which had a longer fuselage, longer-span wings, and more powerful engines. The 340 first flew on October 5, 1951. In 1954, in an attempt to compete with turboprop -powered airliners such as

124-524: A stylized "F", was created by Saul Bass and introduced April 30, 1978. By 1979, the airline had 5,100 employees and operated 35 Boeing 737-200 and 25 Convair 580 aircraft serving 94 cities in 26 states, Canada and Mexico. On February 1, 1980, Frontier president Al Feldman left to become the CEO of Continental Airlines . He was succeeded by Glen Ryland, and the airline started to decline. By 1982, employees began accepting lower wages and benefits in an effort to keep

155-407: A total of 75 to American—and another 50 to Western Airlines , Continental Airlines , Pan American Airways , Lufthansa , KLM , Swissair , Sabena , and Trans Australia Airlines . A CV-240 was the first private aircraft used in a United States presidential campaign. In 1960, John F. Kennedy used a CV-240 named Caroline (after his daughter) during his campaign. This aircraft is now preserved in

186-438: A ventral airstair for passenger boarding. The prototype Model 110, registration NX90653, first flew on July 8, 1946. By this time, American Airlines had changed the requirements to include pressurization and deemed the design too small. Convair used the first prototype for 240 series development work before it had the plane broken up in 1947. To meet the requirements of airlines for a pressurized airliner, Convair produced

217-403: Is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3 . Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization , the 240 series made some inroads as a commercial airliner, and had a long development cycle that produced various civil and military variants. Though reduced in numbers by attrition, various forms of

248-646: The Hopi good luck symbol." Its runway 17/35 (10,000 feet in length) was built during the 1990s. The airport is most busy during its winter season, serving many skiers headed to Telluride Ski Resort , an hour and a half away by road; it is also busy serving summer tourism in the area. Outside the winter and summer seasons, the only major airline flights are United Express and Southwest Airlines flights to Denver and American Eagle flights to Dallas/Fort Worth . Direct flights to Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Houston, San Francisco and Atlanta are offered in peak seasons, with

279-653: The National Air and Space Museum . After aborted negotiations with TWA and Eastern for "Super 240" orders, Convair temporarily halted 240 series production. In response to a United inquiry, Convair redesigned the Super 240, calling it the CV-340. United ordered 55, and more US orders came from Braniff, Continental, Delta, Northeast, and National. Other orders came from abroad, and the CV-340 was popular in South America. The CV-340 earned

310-497: The Vickers Viscount , Convair produced the Model 440 Metropolitan, with more streamlined cowlings, new engine exhausts, and better cabin soundproofing. As the "Super 240" evolved into the CV-340 and CV-440, the design reached the limit of piston-engine performance, and future development centered on conversion to turboprop power. Convair delivered the first production Convairliner to American on February 29, 1948. They delivered

341-420: The " Convairliners " continue to fly in the 21st century. The design began with a requirement by American Airlines for an airliner to replace its Douglas DC-3s . Convair's original design, the unpressurised Model 110, was a twin-engine, low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, with 30 seats. It was powered by Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engines . It had a tricycle landing gear , and

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372-607: The Convair 600s in 1969–70 and DC-3 flights ended in 1968. The Convair 580s lasted until May 31, 1982, when they were parked and eventually sold. Alvin Feldman became president in March 1971 and converted the jet fleet to Boeing 737-200s, eliminating the 727s. The 737-200 was Frontier's only jet type until McDonnell Douglas MD-80s were added beginning May 20, 1982. On January 29, 1973, Frontier Airlines hired its first black pilot, Bob Ashby ,

403-613: The Frontier hub in Denver (DEN) and had also begun serving Sacramento (SMF), its first directly served destination in California, that same year. Frontier would later introduce its own Orange County service as well as flights to a number of other destinations in California. This same annual report states the airline transported over 80 percent of its passenger traffic on board its growing fleet of Boeing 737-200 jets in 1977. The final Frontier logo,

434-665: The July 1, 1968 Frontier Airlines system timetable, Aero Commander 500 twin engine prop aircraft were being operated via contract by Combs Aviation on behalf of Frontier on scheduled passenger flights serving smaller communities in Montana and Wyoming at this time. Frontier served the following destinations between 1950 and 1986 with not all of these destinations being served at the same time. Destinations in bold received jet service. The above are taken from Frontier timetables. Convair CV-340 10 (Canadair) The Convair CV-240

465-519: The airline ceased operations on August 24, 1986. A new airline using the same name was founded eight years later in 1994. The original Frontier Airlines dates to November 27, 1946, when Monarch Air Lines began service in the Four Corners states of Colorado, Utah , New Mexico , and Arizona . Frontier served cities in the Rocky Mountains bounded by Salt Lake City to the west, Billings to

496-637: The airline entered the jet age with new Boeing 727-100s on September 30, 1966. The Boeing trijet was called the "Arrow-Jet" by the airline. The Boeing 727-200 became part of the fleet in February 1968. On October 1, 1967, Frontier purchased Central Airlines , headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The addition of Central added eleven Convair 600s and sixteen DC-3s to the fleet and many new cities. Convair 600s were Convair 240s that had been retrofitted with Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines; Frontier phased out

527-793: The business viable. Ryland resigned November 6, 1984, and was replaced by M.C. "Hank" Lund, the well-known vice president. Joe O'Gorman, from United Airlines , took over in May 1985, giving rise to speculation that United would buy Frontier. Once the last of the Convair 580 turboprops were retired, Frontier became an all-jet airline on June 1, 1982. The airline operated Boeing 737-200s to smaller cities such as Casper, Wyoming ; Durango, Colorado ; Farmington, New Mexico ; Fort Smith, Arkansas ; Grand Forks, North Dakota ; Lawton, Oklahoma ; Manhattan, Kansas ; Montrose, Colorado ; Rock Springs, Wyoming ; Salina, Kansas ; Scottsbluff, Nebraska ; Stockton, California ; Topeka, Kansas ; and West Yellowstone, Montana . By

558-463: The company introduced a new logo on the new aircraft. On June 1, 1964, it was the first airline to fly the Convair 580 , a CV-340/440 retrofitted with GM Allison turboprops. It had 50 seats, was flown by two pilots and carried one flight attendant. (The aircraft could have carried 53 passengers, but that would have required a second flight attendant.) The CV-580 was the workhouse of the Frontier fleet until

589-461: The fall of 1983 some Convair 580's were revived when an agreement was made with Combs Airways to operate a code sharing feeder service for Frontier called Frontier Commuter . This carrier began service on October 17, 1983, to some of the Frontier cities that were too small to support 737s plus new service to several cities such as Idaho Falls and Pocatello, Idaho , Gillette and Sheridan, Wyoming, and Pierre and Aberdeen, South Dakota. Frontier Commuter

620-586: The introduction of the Boeing 737-200s in the early 1970s. In later years de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters and Beech 99s were added to serve cities too small for the Convair 580. In May 1958, Frontier flew to 40 airports; two years later it flew to 69. Half the additions had never seen an airline and several never would again, after Frontier pulled out. In May 1968, after merging with Central Airlines , Frontier flew to 100 airports, second among U.S. airlines ( Pan Am

651-428: The most flights on Saturdays. Montrose Regional is the nearest airport with regularly scheduled mainline passenger jets to ski areas around Telluride . Some direct service to Telluride's small airport is offered by Denver Air Connection , with Montrose serving as the alternative, backup destination when weather would close the high-elevation Telluride airport. Share Montrose Regional Airport remodeled and expanded

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682-544: The north, Denver to the east, and Phoenix and El Paso to the south. In 1950, it flew to 40 cities in the Rocky Mountain region with twelve Douglas DC-3s and 400 employees. Before ceasing operations in 1986, it flew to more than 170 airports at various times over the years, with service to both the U.S. east coast and west coast as well as to Canada and Mexico with an all-jet fleet. Frontier continued to operate Douglas DC-3s and added Convair CV-340s beginning in 1959;

713-501: The only Tuskegee Airman to become a commercial passenger airline pilot. It also hired the first female pilot for any modern day U.S. commercial airline the same day, Emily Howell Warner . Both were awarded their captain's wings several years later. According to the 1977 Frontier Airlines annual report, the airline was serving both Burbank (BUR) and Orange County (SNA) via an interchange flight agreement with Hughes Airwest with service between these southern California destinations and

744-422: The passenger terminal, adding 10,935 square feet (1,015.9 m) by lengthening the terminal 80 feet (24 m) to the south. The expansion added space for passenger check-in, larger departure lounge, and space at the security checkpoint. In the year ending December 31, 2022, the airport had 23,414 aircraft operations, average 64 per day: 26% air carrier , 1% air taxi , 72% general aviation and 1% military. At

775-533: The pension disputes and lawsuits. Efforts were still being made in 2013 to settle ESOP accounts. Continental continued to operate the Frontier jet fleet with the aircraft being repainted in Continental's livery. On March 3, 2012, Continental merged into United Airlines. Frontier's last timetable was dated September 3, 1986; the airline had halted operations and filed bankruptcy the week before. Some bankruptcy proceedings ended on May 31, 1990, forty years after Frontier

806-533: The ribbon. The airport terminal was designed by local architect Patrik Davis "to greet visitors with small-town hospitality. A two-sided fireplace is the centerpiece of the passenger seating area, which has a tile floor patterned with the Ute pictogram for travel and a high, skylighted ceiling of knotty pine. The walls are earthy, ground-face cinderblock, and natural-finished glue-laminated beams extend over wide walkways. The gable roof has skylights and dormers decorated with

837-517: The time, there were 93 aircraft based at MTJ, 70 single-engine, 13 multi-engine, 3 jets, 3 helicopters, 3 gliders and 1 ultra-light. Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) Frontier Airlines was a United States local service carrier , a scheduled airline that was formed by the merger of Arizona Airways , Challenger Airlines , and Monarch Air Lines on June 1, 1950. Headquartered at the now-closed Stapleton International Airport in Denver , Colorado ,

868-536: Was acquired by a new start up air carrier, Skybus Airlines, that same year. The Frontier employees' union coalition struggled to save Frontier Airlines, but failed. People Express Airlines acquired Frontier on October 5, 1985, and put Larry Martin in charge after Joe O'Gorman resigned on January 29, 1986. People Express continued operating Frontier as an independent entity. On August 24, 1986, Frontier shut down due to continued losses and four days later filed for bankruptcy. On October 24, 1986 Continental Airlines ,

899-747: Was first with 122). In April 1958, Lewis Bergman "Bud" Maytag, Jr. (grandson of Frederick Louis Maytag I , founder of the Maytag Corporation), acquired controlling interest in Frontier. After all governmental approvals, he took control in January 1959 as chairman of the board and president. Three years later, Maytag sold his stock in March 1962 to the Goldfield Corp., whereupon he bought a controlling interest in National Airlines . Lewis W. Dymond then became president of Frontier and, under his guidance,

930-491: Was formed, but the Chapter 11 case was closed July 22, 1998, by Charles E. Matheson, Chief Judge. M. C. "Hank" Lund and other former Frontier executives went on to start a new airline, also named Frontier Airlines , which began Boeing 737 flights on July 5, 1994. During its 36 years, Frontier Airlines flew to over 170 airports; however, not all were served at the same time and many no longer have airline service. According to

961-815: Was short lived and shut down on January 14, 1985. In January 1984 Boeing 727-100s made a short-lived reappearance when Frontier created a wholly owned "airline within an airline" low cost subsidiary: Frontier Horizon . It was founded as a low-cost, non-union subsidiary of the original Frontier Airlines . Its formation was bitterly opposed by Frontier Airlines employees. During its brief existence, Boeing 727s formerly operated by American Airlines flew nonstop between Denver and New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Orlando (MCO) and Tampa (TPA). Frontier Horizon ceased operations in April 1985 after it

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