High in the Rocky Mountains, more than 7,800 feet above sea level, you’ll find the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (ASE). Despite wildfires and airport limitations – only certain aircraft are permitted to land at ASE, and pilots have to undergo special training – the Envoy team pulled through in the second quarter of 2018 (2Q18) to exceed all five American Airlines Customer Cup metrics and take home their first Cup win.

“This last year has been great – we’re seeing more and more customers fly to Aspen to enjoy the outdoors,” said ASE General Manager, Danny Ortiz. “This demand also means that where we used to have to put people on leave or send them for Temporary Duty (TDY) assignments during the off-season, we’re now able to staff the station all year round – we’re even expecting nine daily departures this winter, up from eight last winter.”

The airport is also responding to increased demand by proposing a runway expansion project for 2019, which will allow small mainline aircraft – such as Airbus A319s – to fly into the airport.

“We’re a unique station – where most places slow down for winter, we speed up!” jokes ASE Station Agent Laura Coarsely. “We get a lot of international and codeshare customers, too. For many of our customers, that means their experience here is what they associate with American.”

Coming out of winter and heading into 2Q18, team ASE hit their stride, outperforming all five Customer Cup metrics and taking home the coveted prize.

“With fewer departures to manage, we were able to focus on really making every customer experience special,” explained ASE Station Agent Steven Serena. “It’s also fun to see frequent flyers – Executive Platinums and so on – traveling with their families. They don’t always know what to do when there’s little ones involved!”

“This is a station where some metrics – like MBR – matter so much more than at other locations,” said John Jaynes, Envoy Senior Vice President, Customer Services. “Customers need their cold-weather gear and ski equipment. You all worked together to make sure that no bag was left behind – and that customers had a positive travel experience. Way to go!”

To celebrate, the station visited a nearby barbeque restaurant to share a meal and reflect on their win. “I’ve been all over – I’ve lived in California and Hawaii, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, but Aspen will always be my home base,” said ASE Station Agent Lillian Bailey during the meal. “It’s a great team we have here, and I’m glad we’re continuing to build on our success.”

Congratulations to team ASE on their first Cup win!