Grand Junction Regional Airport – GJT

Do you want to revisit the 1930’s and experience an airport experience similar to that? If so, visit GJT and see it in it’s original condition! If you want a modern airport with a functional and simple visit, stay clear. Coming from West Star Aviation, the FBO in the local airport, the taste that GJT’s commercial airport left in my mouth is that of Ipecac syrup. West Star Aviation is excellent. They have a beautiful lounge for those in private aviation with excellent amenities. Once you leave the FBO and visit the commercial airport, you’re taken aback. Check-​in was decent. Not many staff members available for United (or any of the counters for that reason), but I doubt this airport see’s a lot of traffic to warrant more. Waiting in line for 5 minutes to check bags? That’s understandable. Now, you’d think that a dual level airport would have a easy means to get to the second floor with your rolling suitcases, right? Well, at GJT you either can take the stairs or the elevator.
Now, on the TSA website, it lists GJT as an airport supporting PreCheck. PreCheck, the program that makes frequent fliers lives easier at airports, is not exactly available here. PreCheck means no removal of shoes, minor jewelry, belt, outercoat, laptop and liquids, to just name a few perks. At GJT, PreCheck means you don’t have to take your shoes off or your outermost coat. You get a laminated card saying this, which you hand to the security agent. Yet you still go through the same line as those who haven’t flown a day in their life. This means two things occur. Firstly, the line is slow from ill-​prepared individuals. Secondly, the metal detector is still ramped up to a high setting. Thus, my shoes, belt, and accessories, which have gotten me past ORD, IND, ATL and SJU without incident, alarm the detectors at GJT. PreCheck means that you don’t have to take your mid-​calf boots off. NOT THE CASE AT GJT. After removing all of those articles, I was able to get through the detector without setting off the sensitive detector.
But yes, even with PreCheck, you are required to pull out your liquids and laptop from their packed location in your meticulously packed luggage. After getting through the body metal detector, my backpack, which was acceptable at IND, was required to have a secondary screening. By hand. While the TSA agent was not hostile, you could tell he was burdened by the amount of electronics I had in the bag. Sorry, I’m a technophile that has his photography equipment and cords in my bag, where I’ll have immediate access to them when the times comes. 15 minutes later, I’m given the bag back with the contents placed haphazardly in a bin and told to repack it. Thanks, dude.
Post Security. You have a Subway and seating for only a handful of gates. This isn’t a large airport. Their redeeming quality is the scarce outlet to charge my laptop as I write this review. If you have the option, either fly out of another airport if you have PreCheck, or go private with West Star Aviation. I’m not impressed. Even the gorgeous views of the mountains in the background can’t make me feel like I’m in 2016.
Wifi is SLOW.

This is the worst airport. Not because it’s small but if you are not the right race you will be treated like you are not allowed here. I’ve flown in and out of other small airports in rural areas in this country and there is curtesy shown towards all passengers. Not this one. Sorry but this is 2016 and if you are not able to handle diversity don’t work in customer service.

This place needs an overhaul. The only food option is a Subway (yuck) and Fox News is on all TVs at waiting areas (again, yuck). At least it’s small so you can arrive «late» and minimize your wait time here, unless your flight gets delayed (like mine). Sigh.

Nicely maintained, comfortable, perfectly sized yet fully equipped small regional airport. Plenty of rental car companies on sight. The TSA officers here are the most reasonable, polite, and friendly I’ve ever come across. Quiet. Clean, comfortable, and abundant seating in waiting areas both inside and outside of terminals. WiFi. A/​C and USB charging stations.
A refreshingly relaxed approach to commercial aviation these days. But one star off for the unavoidable TVs blasting Faux News. Ugh.

Terrible airport. U.S. Airways breaks my bag, then tells me they are not responsible for the damage. I return my rental car to National and the staff stared at me instead of helping me. Then I try to check my broken bag into my flight and it takes 45 minutes to check in when I’m the first in line. Poorly operated, smells like rotten milk and the overall customer service (not everyone) is horrific. Too slow motion to be considered an airport.

TSA is very friendly and some seats have power outlets so you can charge your phone while you wait to board

Teeny, Regional airport decorated with photos of the desert and slabs of actual petroglyphs. TSA opens only when there are flights, which in my case, was 3PM on a Tuesday afternoon. Gates two and three out of the airports total 3 gates provides a panoramic view of the brown mountains surrounding the airport. A small gift shop sells chotchkes and lo & behold! Nutty Buddy ice cream bars. Centrally located in Grand Junction.

Great regional airport. TSA staff is nice, the gate agents are nice and best of all you can get there 10 minutes for your flight boards (if you do carry on) and still make it to the flight. I fly out of here 6 – 8 times a month. Can’t wait to see what the expansion plans bring. Hopefully they can lure Southwest here.
If you check luggage, you have to be here at least 30 minutes, because the check in counter agents load the luggage and run the gate to load you on the plane.

…so everyone is talking about how fast one can go through this airport… it’s because it’s completely empty. hahaha.
At first, it was great coming in because I got out so quickly. Then on my way out of Grand Junction, I came early and spent about 2 hours there…
Extremely small airport, with only a subway to eat at. A room with old arcade games. And many many empty seats haha. But with many plugs!
For what it’s worth, you get through quickly… just not an airport to actually hang out at.

Why can’t all airports be regional airports? People would love flying.
2 minutes to turn in my Avis car.
1 mintue to check our extra bag.
1 minute to get upstairs to security, which had 1 other person.
3 minutes to get through security
1 minute to pick up a water inside the convenince store
1 minute to get to our gate.
I knew we would be able to go through here quickly but was nervous because I arrived at 310 for a 345 flight. Good thing I got to the gate within 10 minutes.
Your experience may differ, especially if you’re like the couple next to us who showed up to the wrong airport, on the wrong day, and needed to change their destination — n00bs.

Not a bad airport for the size of town it’s in. Great view of the mountains around it from the gate area. TSA was quick. Small airports are usually very effective!

Almost worth four stars for the stuffed brown bear alone. Never a line here, simply because there aren’t a lot of people here. The place could really use a bar though. Nothing to do when you have a long wait. This is my sole grip, and it costs one star.

Tiny airport. Fast baggage check. TSA with NO LINE.
The only downside is that the only food available is a Subway. But that’s better than nothing.
Worth noting: You can order wine at the Subway.

Small efficient airport with actual friendly tsa and 4 car rental counters in terminal

This is a very nice small airport. You HAVE to be there 30 minutes before takeoff because the gate attendants shut down the gate to go load your luggage.

omg can you say easy?!!
TSA is so incredibly friendly. No lines for security, food or boarding. I wish all travel could be this simple!

Holy easy airport.
With LAX as my home base airport, how can I NOT like Walker Field? Nice people, super fast, easy, renting a car is painless. Do they even have more than 2 gates? Even better, the views are beautiful. Walker Field could benefit from free wifi and a bar, but who cares — it’s close enough to local Breweries that you can be check in 45 minutess before your flight and not worry about not making it on time.

Tiny little airport and easy to get through. The only issue I have is they close the TSA security line for break time so we had to wait outside security until they returned. I guess that’s one way to save money.

Teensiest airport I’ve ever been too! They don’t really need much here. You’re in and out pretty quick. Security was very thorough and it made me feel safe.
No crowds or crazy long lines or anything like that. It really takes a lot of the stress out of flying.
Oh and there is a GORGEOUS view of the mesa and the mountains when you’re flying in and out.

I like this airport (considering I fly in and out of major airports pretty much weekly). It is small and the check-​in desk are also the folks that take you through security. So be on time. Not like there will be traffic getting there. No shuttle buses to the rental cars — since it’s about 100 footsteps away. you exit on to the tarmac. The terminal now also has a Subway restaurant.
What I do not like is the flight in. Coming from either SLC or Denver it gets very bumpy over the Rockies. Pressure drops. Swaying side to side. A few dips here and there. Good thing United now flies in regional jets — those prop planes they flew in up to about a year ago was able to make anyone seasick at 20,000 feet.