Every month, there are more places to get airfare’s healthy snacks besides a subscription or order from our website. In July, we detailed our partnership with fixed-base operator (FBO) Sheltair to offer our snacks in many of its locations around the country.

As a refresher, FBOs are small airports for private jets, complete with landing strips, hangars, and often very nice “terminals” akin to comfortable hotel lobbies. Continuing our mission to make healthy snacking everywhere, today we’re flying west. So grab a stylish ski suit, call a celebrity friend, and snag a $240 lift ticket (yes, that’s for one day), because we’re headed to another one of the consistently top ranked FBOs in the country: the Vail Valley Jet Center (VVJC).

Vail, Colo. is not just for the rich and famous—it’s home to a substantial number of renowned businesses, serves as a primary training ground for the U.S. National Guard, and now—most importantly—has the best healthy snacks in the game.

We were lucky to tour the VVJC facility with Dani and Jessica—caring and knowledgeable members of the Vail Valley team with more than 30 years of customer service experience combined. We felt the hospitality first-hand, though we surely weren’t the first ones to notice. In 2021, VVJC was purchased by Signature Aviation, one of the largest FBO chains in the world.

Much of the value of that purchase likely came from the rich history of the VVJC.

Though the idea of private flight germinated in the early 1900s, it wasn’t until midway through the twentieth century that Eagle County Airport (now the VVJC) got its official wings 35 miles west of Vail. In the 1960s, concrete and steel replaced old dirt and grass landing strips, and then in 1973 the FBO opened its doors.

Interest in the area and use of the VVJC grew in the 1980s, largely due to the buzz generated by president Gerald Ford’s celebrity golf and ski events. The National Guard also found a home for its training on the north end of the VVJC in the 80s due to its high altitude and rough terrain.

With its rich history, top-notch service, and proximity to the best double black diamonds in the country, the next time you find yourself flying into the VVJC, grab yourself some mangos and kale chips, and hit the slopes.

And if there’s another FBO you frequent that could benefit from elevating its snack game, send us an email at hello@airfarepouch.com.

Vail Valley Jet Center fun facts

• In 2010, the History Channel ranked it the eighth “most extreme airport” due to its elevation, weather, approach path through mountainous terrain and challenging departure procedures. That’s No. 8 in the world. For context, the No. 1 most extreme is in…Nepal.
• It’s in a town called Gypsum, referencing the rock used as a primary ingredient to make drywall.
• Celebrity sightings over the years include Clint Eastwood, Arnold Palmer, Alan Greenspan, Jackie Gleason, Henry Kissinger, Robert Redford, Oprah, Sammy Davis Jr…and the cofounders of airfare.