Denver Air Connection

Denver Air Connection

IATA ICAO Call sign KG LYM KEY LIME
Founded	1997;28 years ago (1997)
AOC #	KY7A882H [1]
Hubs	Denver International Airport
Focus cities	Chicago-O'Hare
Destinations	18
Parent company	Key Lime Air
Key people	Cliff Honeycutt (Founder, President and CEO) Glen Rich (Founder, Vice President and COO) Dan Bauer (Founder)
Website	denverairconnection.com

Denver Air Connection Embraer ERJ 145

Cockpit view of a DAC Dornier 328JET inflight

Denver Air Connection is a subsidiary of Key Lime Air providing both charter and scheduled passenger air service.

History

Key Lime Air, dba Denver Air Connection (DAC), operates FAR Part 121 regional airline scheduled passenger service and scheduled passenger air charter. DAC operates scheduled routes between 16 cities across 10 states. Flights are operated with various aircraft, including Embraer ERJ-145 and Fairchild Dornier 328JET regional jets as well as Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner and Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia turboprops under FAR Part 135.

Denver Air Connection has an interline relationship with United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines enabling travelers to fly DAC and connect to these partners without having to collect and recheck baggage. ^{[2] [3]}

On 15 May 2019, the airline began service to Telluride Regional Airport also operating as Denver Air Connection and using the Fairchild Dornier 328JET. The service is the first jet service at the Telluride airport.

On June 1, 2019, the airline began its first Essential Air Service (EAS) contract at Alliance Municipal Airport under the Denver Air Connection brand, using the Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner. The service offers 12 weekly round trips to Denver.

Scheduled destinations

Denver Air Connection serves the following destinations:

City	Airport	IATA Code	Destinations	Notes
Colorado
Alamosa	San Luis Valley Regional Airport	ALS	Denver	Contract awarded from SkyWest due to contract termination [4]
Cortez	Cortez Municipal Airport	CEZ	Denver Phoenix	Contract awarded from Boutique Air [5]
Denver	Denver International Airport	DEN	Alamosa Alliance Chadron Cortez Clovis McCook Pueblo Telluride	Hub
Pueblo	Pueblo Memorial Airport	PUB	Denver	EAS Community | Awarded from Southern Airways Express
Telluride	Telluride Regional Airport	TEX	Denver Phoenix
Georgia
Atlanta	Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport	ATL	Jackson (TN)
Illinois
Chicago	O'Hare International Airport	ORD	Ironwood Jackson (TN) Muskegon Watertown Dubuque
Iowa
Dubuque	Dubuque Regional Airport	DBQ	Chicago O'Hare	Contract termination effective on January 15, 2026 [6]
Nebraska
Alliance	Alliance Municipal Airport	AIA	Denver	EAS Community
Chadron	Chadron Municipal Airport	CDR	Denver	EAS Community
McCook	McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport	MCK	Denver	EAS Community
New Mexico
Clovis	Clovis Municipal Airport	CVN	Dallas-Ft. Worth [7] Denver	EAS Community
Michigan
Ironwood	Gogebic–Iron County Airport	IWD	Chicago O'Hare Minneapolis	EAS Community
Muskegon	Muskegon County Airport	MKG	Chicago O'Hare	EAS Community
Minnesota
Minneapolis/St Paul	Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport	MSP	Ironwood Thief River Falls
Thief River Falls	Thief River Falls Regional Airport	TVF	Minneapolis	EAS Community
Tennessee
Jackson	Jackson Regional Airport	MKL	Atlanta Chicago O'Hare	EAS Community
Texas
Dallas/Fort Worth	Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport	DFW	Clovis

Former destinations

City	Airport	IATA Code	Destinations	Notes
Colorado
Centennial	Centennial Airport	APA	Grand Junction
Grand Junction	Grand Junction Regional Airport	GJT	Denver-Centennial
Nebraska
Kearney	Kearney Regional Airport	EAR	Denver	EAS Community | SkyWest chosen as new air carrier [8]
South Dakota
Pierre	Pierre Regional Airport	PIR	Denver	EAS Community [9]
Watertown	Watertown Regional Airport	ATY	Chicago O'Hare Denver	EAS Community [10]
Wyoming
Riverton	Central Wyoming Regional Airport	RIW	Denver
Sheridan	Sheridan Airport	SHR	Denver

Fleet

DAC Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner

Denver Air Connection Fleet

Aircraft	Total	Passengers	Notes
Embraer ERJ 145	3	50
Dornier 328JET	3	30
Fairchild Mertroliner	2	18

Accidents and incidents

• On April 14, 2022, a Fairchild Metroliner (registration N820DC) operating flight 4230 experienced a nose gear malfunction and collapse at slow speed following an aborted takeoff at Denver International Airport. There were no injuries reported. ^[11]

References

1. "Federal Aviation Administration - Airline Certificate Information - Detail View". av-info.faa.gov. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
2. Pelisson, Maureen (17 May 2019). "Denver to Telluride in 40 minutes". Telluride Daily Planet.
3. "First-ever commercial jet service coming to Telluride". 9News. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
4. "Regulations.gov". www.regulations.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
5. "Regulations.gov". www.regulations.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
6. "Denver Air Connection Flights at Dubuque Regional Airport to End in Early 2026 • Dubuque Regional Airport, IA". flydbq.com. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
7. Gerardi, Joey (2021-09-30). "Denver Air Connection Announces Texas Launch Date – AirlineGeeks.com". AirlineGeeks.com – LIVE. LOVE. AVIATION. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
8. "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
9. staff, Capital Journal (14 April 2021). "SkyWest to be replaced by Denver Air Connections at Pierre airport". Capital Journal. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
10. VanDusen, Troy (13 April 2021). "DOT Selects New Essential Air Service Carrier for Watertown Regional Airport". mykxlg.com. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
11. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Swearingen SA227-DC Metro 23 N820DC Denver International Airport, CO (DEN)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2022-04-16.

External links

• Official site