How long does it really take to fly from Aspen to Boulder? Here's a sample itinerary for a commercial flight plan. If you want to know the total travel time to reach Boulder, you need to include time at the airports. Eventually, you'll be able to customize this itinerary to select other nearby airports and choose your preferred airline.
Sunday, 7:45 am: start in Aspen
drive for about 10 minutes
most airlines recommend you get to the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight, so arrive by 8:50 am at the latest
7:55 am: Aspen Pitkin County Sardy Field (ASE)
if you need to check luggage, make sure you do it at least 30-60 minutes before departure, or in this case, by 9:20 am
8:25 am: get your boarding pass and go through TSA security
allow enough time for long security lines during busy travel seasons or holidays, and prepare for the wait time
9:25 am: arrive at the gate
once you're ready to board, you can get something to eat in the airport or just relax near the gate
9:55 am: prepare for boarding
check your boarding pass for your group number or listen to the gate agent as they announce boarding, some airlines require you to be in the boarding area 10-15 minutes before departure or risk losing your seat
10:10 am: board SkyWest Airlines Inc. flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
10:20 am: this is your scheduled departure time
but this flight is usually delayed by an average of 8 minutes
10:28 am: so this is your actual departure time
it takes the plane an average of 23 minutes to taxi to the runway
10:51 am: wheels up! take-off from ASE
fly for about 29 minutes in the air
11:20 am (local time): Denver International (DEN)
Boulder is the same time as Aspen
taxi on the runway for an average of 7 minutes to the gate
11:27 am (local time): arrive at the gate at DEN
deboard the plane, and claim any baggage
if you're renting a car, check if you need to take a shuttle to car rental agency, otherwise you can ride in a cab, limo, or Uber for about 1.5 hours to your destination
1:07 pm (local time): arrive in Boulder
Now finally, let's look at an example flight from ASE to DEN and figure out how long it would take to fly including take-off and landing, and time to taxi on the runway.
So now we can finally get an idea of the total travel time from Aspen to Boulder including time spent getting to/from the airports, an estimated wait time of 2 hours at the airport for TSA security lines and waiting at the gate, and the actual flight itself.
Total travel time: 4 hours
How far is Boulder from Aspen? Here's the quick answer if you have a private jet and you can fly in the fastest possible straight line.
Flight distance: 100 miles or 161 km
Flight time: 23 minutes
Compare this to a whole day of commercial travel with the airports and waiting in line for security, which ends up taking a total of 5 hours, 22 minutes.
Flying private is roughly 8.5x faster, and saves you about 4.5 hours in your total travel time.
Because of the curvature of the Earth, the shortest distance is actually the "great circle" distance, or "as the crow flies" which is calculated using an iterative Vincenty formula.
This is a relatively short flight in a private plane, but you might be planning to book a commercial flight. In that case, your travel time would really need to include how many minutes to get to your local airport, wait for security, board and taxi on the runway, land at the other airport, and get to your destination. The flight itinerary at the top of the page takes into account all these factors to get a more accurate estimate of your actual flight time.
Looking at flights on SkyWest Airlines Inc. from ASE to DEN, here's a breakdown of the number of flights available each day:
Based on these statistical results, we chose Sunday for the flight itinerary above.
The most common route is ASE to DEN, so that's what we used in the sample itinerary. However, you may want to explore travel alternatives, you could try one of these routes:
We picked SkyWest Airlines Inc. for your main flight, but there are other airlines that you should check if you're looking for the cheapest flight, or you need a different schedule. Check the websites of these airlines:
Trippy has a ton of information that can help you plan your trip to Boulder, Colorado. Start by reading the Trippy page on where to stay in Boulder. If you're looking for a place to stay, you might want to check out Table Mountain Inn. A great place to eat might be Frasca Food and Wine. Trippy members can suggest things to do in Boulder like Mesa Verde National Park. Check out some of the questions people have asked about Boulder like Where to dine après-ski??? Click the button below to explore Boulder in detail.
The distance is the same either way if you're flying a straight line. But for a real trip, there can be plenty of differences so go ahead and check the reverse flight itinerary to fly from Boulder to Aspen, or go to the main page to calculate other flight times.
You can also compare the travel time if you were to drive instead. Get the full itinerary for a Aspen to Boulder road trip. Or if you're more interested in the distance, How far is it from Aspen to Boulder?
If you happen to know Aspen, don't forget to help other travelers and answer some questions about Aspen!