Delta and SkyWest begin Embraer E175 service into Aspen

Delta Air Lines and its operating partner SkyWest Airlines have deployed the Embraer E175 on nonstop flights into Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, according to an account of the operation. The airport sits at an elevation of 7,820 feet, or 2,384 meters, which makes it one of the more demanding fields in the United States.

Warm-weather high density altitude reduces jet engine thrust at the airfield, and regional carriers have often responded by capping passenger seats or leaving baggage behind. Those penalties had kept the E175 from taking over from older Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft on high-yield resort routes. The type had been judged only marginally able to meet the airport's steep obstacle-clearance requirements.

The impasse was resolved by a change to engine software, after which the aircraft was placed on nonstop services into Aspen from Atlanta and from Los Angeles.