Denver International Airport

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Denver International Airport

IATA: DEN - ICAO: KDEN
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		City & County of Denver Department of Aviation
Serves		Denver, Colorado
Elevation AMSL		5,431 ft (1,655 m)
Coordinates		39°51′42″N, 104°40′24″W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
16R/34L	16,000	4,877	Concrete
16L/34R	12,000	3,658	Concrete
17L/35R	12,000	3,658	Concrete
17R/35L	12,000	3,658	Concrete
7/25	12,000	3,658	Concrete
8/26	12,000	3,658	Concrete

Denver International Airport (IATA: DEN, ICAO: KDEN), often called DIA, is the largest international airport in the world, and it is located in northeastern Denver, Colorado. Operated by the City and County of Denver, in 2005 it served 43,387,513 passengers, ranking eleventh worldwide (in the past it has ranked among the top ten busiest airports in the world). At 53 sq. miles, it is the largest airport by area in the United States. DIA was voted the 2005 Best Airport in North America by readers of Business Traveler Magazine.

The airport's distinctive white tension fabric roof is designed to be reminiscent of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains in winter. It is also known for a pedestrian bridge connecting the terminal to Concourse A that offers a unique view of planes taxiing directly underneath. The airport is a major hub for United Airlines and Frontier Airlines, as well as the primary hub for Ted, a subsidiary of United.

The airport is 19.5 miles (31.5 km) further from downtown Denver than Stapleton International Airport, the airport it replaced. The distant location was chosen to avoid noise impacts to developed areas, to accommodate a generous runway layout that would not be compromised by winter storms, and to allow for future expansion. The 53 square miles of land occupied by the airport actually has twice the land area of Manhattan, and was transferred from Adams County to Denver after a 1989 vote, increasing the city's size by 50 percent. However, much of the city of Aurora is actually closer to the airport than the developed portions of Denver, and all freeway traffic accessing the airport from central Denver passes through Aurora.

DIA has public Wi-Fi access available throughout the airport provided by AT&T/Cingular [1]. T-Mobile HotSpot service is available in the airport lounges run by United, American, and Delta airlines [2].

1 History
- 1.1 Automated baggage system
2 Design and expandability
- 2.1 Questions about Runway/Taxiway Integrity
3 Terminals, Airlines and Destinations
4 Public transportation
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

In September 1989, under the leadership of Denver mayor Federico Peña, federal officials authorized the outlay of the first $60 million for the construction of DIA. Two years later, Mayor Wellington Webb inherited the project, scheduled to open on October 29, 1993.

Delays caused by poor planning and repeated design changes due to changing requirements from United Airlines caused Mayor Webb to push opening day back, first to December 1993, then to March 1994. By September 1993, delays due to a millwright strike and other events meant opening day was pushed back again, to May 15, 1994. This earned the airport the tongue-in-cheek nicknames "Delayed Indefinitely Airport" or "Denver's Imaginary Airport" using the DIA acronym.

In April 1994, the city invited reporters to observe the first test of the new automated baggage system. Reporters were treated to scenes of clothing and other personal effects scattered beneath the system's tracks, while the actuators that moved luggage from belt to belt would often toss the luggage right off the system instead. The mayor cancelled the planned May 15 opening. The baggage system continued to be a maintenance hassle and was finally terminated in September 2005 [3], with traditional baggage handlers manually handling cargo and passenger luggage.

On September 25, 1994, the airport hosted a fly-in that drew several hundred general aviation aircraft, providing pilots with a unique opportunity to operate in and out of the new airport, and to wander around on foot looking at the ground-side facilities—including the baggage system, which was still under testing. FAA controllers also took advantage of the event to test procedures, and to check for holes in radio coverage as planes taxied around and among the buildings.

DIA finally replaced Stapleton on February 28, 1995, 16 months behind schedule and at a cost of $5.2 billion, nearly $2 billion over budget. The delays and high fees prompted Continental Airlines, which had a hub at Stapleton, to back out of its plans to establish one at DIA.

After the airport's runways were completed but before it opened, the airport used the codes (IATA: DVX, ICAO: KDVX). DIA later took over (IATA: DEN, ICAO: KDEN) as its codes from Stapleton when the latter airport closed.

During a major blizzard in 2003, the heavy snow tore a hole in the terminal's white fabric roof.

In 2004, DIA was ranked first in major airports for on time arrivals according to the FAA.

[edit] Automated baggage system

The airport's computerized baggage system, which was supposed to reduce flight delays, shorten waiting times at luggage carousels, and save airlines in labor costs, turned into an unmitigated failure. An opening originally scheduled for October 31, 1993 with a single system for all three concourses turned into a February 28, 1995 opening with separate systems for each concourse, with varying degrees of automation.

The system's $186 million in original construction costs grew by $1 million per day during months of modifications and repairs. Incoming flights never made use of the system, and only United, DIA's dominant airline, used it for outgoing flights. The 40-year-old company responsible for the design of the automated system (BAE Automated Systems of Carrollton, Texas), at one time responsible for 90% of the baggage systems in the U.S., was acquired in 2003.

The system never worked well, and in August 2005, it became public knowledge that United would abandon the system, a decision that would save them $1 million in monthly maintenance costs.

[edit] Design and expandability

Denver International Airport's Signature roofline as seen from the interior.

Denver has traditionally been one of the busier airports in the nation because of its geographical location. Many airlines including United Airlines, Continental Airlines, Western Airlines, TWA, the old Frontier Airlines and People Express were hubbed in Denver and there was also a significant Southwest Airlines operation at the old Stapleton International Airport. At times, Denver was a hub for three or four airlines. Gate space was severely limited at Stapleton, and the runways at the old Stapleton were unable to deal efficiently with Denver's weather and wind patterns, causing nationwide travel disruption. These problems were the main justification for the new airport.

With the construction of DIA, Denver was determined to build an airport that could be easily expanded over the next 50 years to eliminate many of the problems that had plagued Stapleton International Airport. This was achieved by designing an easily expandable midfield terminal and concourses, creating one of the most efficient airfields in the world.

The airfield is arranged in a pinwheel formation around the midfield terminal and concourses. This layout allows independent flow of aircraft to and from each runway without any queuing or overlap with other runways. Additional runways can be added as needed, up to a maximum of 12 runways. Denver currently has four north/south parallel runways and two east/west parallel runways.

KDEN FAA Airport Diagram

DIA's sixth runway (16R/34L) is the longest commercial precision-instrument runway in North America with a length of 16,000 feet. Compared to other DIA runways, the extra 4,000-foot length allows fully loaded jumbo jets to take off in Denver's mile-high altitude during summer months, thereby providing unrestricted global access for any airline using DIA. The sixth runway can also accommodate the new generation of massive airliners, including the Airbus A380.

The midfield concourses allows passengers to be screened in a central location efficiently and then transported via a rail system to three different passenger concourses. Unlike Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport upon which the midfield design was based, Concourses B and C are only accessible via train which simplifies security.

The taxiways at Denver have been positioned so that each of the midfield concourses can expand significantly before reaching the taxiways. B Concourse, which is primarily used by United Airlines, is longer then the other two concourses, but all three concourses can be expanded as needed. Once this expansion is exhausted, space has been reserved for Concourses D and E.

All international flights requiring customs and immigration services currently fly into Concourse A. Currently four gates are used for international flights. These north facing gates on Concourse A are equipped to divert incoming passengers to a hallway which connects to the upper level of the air bridge, and enters Customs and Immigration in the north side of the Main Terminal. These gates could also be easily modified to allow boarding on both the upper deck and the lower deck of larger planes such as the Airbus A380.

Once fully built out, DIA should be able to handle 110 million passengers per year, up from 32 million at its opening.

[edit] Questions about Runway/Taxiway Integrity

Two of DIA's runways and various DIA taxiways have recently been under scrutiny for possible failure. The Saturday, July 15, 2006 edition of the Denver Rocky Mountain News presented an article on page 21A detailing the issue. According to the News, runways 8/26 and 16R/34L along with various taxiways were constructed with sub-par concrete. [4]

According to the article, the contractor diluted the concrete used in the construction down below acceptable limits in order to lower expected material cost (hence, increase profit). The contractor, a company known as Ball, Ball, and Brossamer Corp, was also alleged to have faked the quality assurance tests administered by the FAA. According to the article, the contractor would somehow get wind of an upcoming test in advance. Once a test time was known, the contractor would adjust the concrete strength for the test sample in question to levels high enough to pass inspection. This caused the sub-par concrete to go undetected by the integrity tests. The combination of sub-par concrete and the rigged tests allowing its use has contributed to the degradation of the runways and taxiways in question, causing DIA to replace 1,287 concrete panels used in the affected runways and taxiways. The allegations against the contractor are as yet unproven.

Each runway and taxiway affected now undergoes a twice-daily inspection to search for additional damage caused by airport operations. Despite the increased vigilance, it is speculated that the runways in question will wear out and require replacement in 15-20 years, which is half of the estimated lifespan of 30-40 years.

It is also speculated that ASR, or Alkali-Silica Reaction, could also be responsible for concrete degradation. ASR is caused when the cement used in the concrete mixture is highly alkaline, causing a reaction with the silica present in the gravel/sand components. A substance forms over time which absorbs water, causing the concrete to crack and crumble. Combine ASR with the natural extremes of the Freeze/Thaw cycle in Colorado, and concrete degradation becomes a distinct possibility according to the FAA. Not surprisingly, Ball, Ball, and Brossamer also back this line of reasoning.

It should be noted that Ball, Ball, and Brossamer has been party to a lawsuit in California due to similar deficiencies in a runway in Colorado Springs... and allegations have popped up at the John Wayne Airport in Orange County, CA.

In any event, concrete integrity is important in aviation as loose concrete can be sucked into a jet engine at takeoff, possibly causing a catastrophic event. DIA officials are certain of the runway/taxiway safety for the time being and expect the periodic replacements and inspections to hold the line. Currently, DIA is conducting a survey into the feasibility of runway/taxiway replacement scheduled over a 13 month period.

[edit] Terminals, Airlines and Destinations

Denver International Airport has three midfield concourses, spaced far apart. Concourse A is accessible via a pedestrian bridge directly from the terminal building, as well as via the underground train system that services all three concourses. For access to Concourses B and C, passengers must utilize the underground train system. Since the design of the airport countenanced no back-up plan to the train system (for instance, no underground pedestrian tunnels) the occasions on which the trains have failed have been embarrassing to the airport management.

The concourses and main terminal have a similar layout compared to Atlanta's airport, except that DEN has no "T" gates directly attached to the terminal, and departures are on a different level of the terminal than arrivals.

The airport charges relatively high landing fees to airlines in order to offset its construction costs as a direct result of the airport being built to support hub operations of United and Continental, Continental subsiquently abandoned the hub due to financial issues in the 90's changing the economic model of the airport. ^{[citation needed]} These fees have led to an effort to increase competition from Colorado Springs Airport. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Concourse A

Gates A24 - A53, A56 - A64

British Airways (London-Heathrow)
Champion Air (Las Vegas)
Continental Airlines (Cleveland, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark)
Frontier Airlines (Acapulco [seasonal], Akron/Canton, Albuquerque, Anchorage [seasonal], Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore/Washington [ends January 8, 2007], Boise, Cancún, Cozumel, Chicago-Midway, Dallas/Fort Worth, Dayton, Detroit, El Paso, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers [seasonal], Guadalajara [begins December 22, 2006], Hartford [begins March 2, 2007], Houston-Intercontinental, Indianapolis, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo [seasonal], Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Mazatlan, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, New York-LaGuardia, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland (OR), Puerto Vallarta, Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), San Jose del Cabo, Santa Ana/Orange County, St. Louis, Seattle/Tacoma, Tampa, Tucson, Washington-Reagan)
- Frontier JetExpress operated by Horizon Air (Albuquerque, Billings, Boise, Calgary, Dayton, El Paso, Fresno, Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Omaha, San Jose (CA), Spokane, Tulsa) (ends May/June 2007)
- FrontierExpress operated by Lynx Aviation (begins May/June 2007)
Great Lakes Airlines (Aberdeen, Alamosa, Alliance, Amarillo, Brookings, Chadron, Cheyenne, Clovis, Cortez, Dickinson, Dodge City, Farmington, Garden City, Gillette, Grand Island, Grand Junction, Hays, Huron, Kearney, Laramie, Liberal, McCook, North Platte, Page, Pierre, Pueblo, Riverton, Rock Springs, Santa Fe, Scottsbluff, Telluride, Williston, Worland)
JetBlue Airways (Boston, New York-JFK)
Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Munich [begins March 31, 2007])
Mexicana (Mexico City, Zacatecas [seasonal])
United Airlines (International Arrivals) (See Concourse B)
- United Airlines is currently using 5 gates out of Concourse A on its mainline flights, until modifications to wholly operate out of Concourse B are completeted. United plans to return the gates (previously used by Ted) to Frontier Airlines by March, 2007.

[edit] Concourse B

The entrance to Concourse B.

An Alexander Eaglerock biplane at the concourse's west end.

Gates B15 - B39, B41 - B61

Air Canada (Montréal, Toronto-Pearson)
United Airlines (Albuquerque, Anchorage, Aspen, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Billings, Boise, Boston, Burbank, Calgary, Charlotte, Chicago-O'Hare, Colorado Springs, Columbus, Cozumel, Dallas/Fort Worth, Des Moines, Detroit, Eagle, Hayden/Steamboat Springs, Honolulu, Houston-Intercontinental, Indianapolis, Jackson Hole, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City [seasonal; begins December 14, 2006], Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, Newark, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Orange County, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland (OR), Puerto Vallarta, Raleigh/Durham [seasonal], Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), Seattle/Tacoma, Sioux Falls, Spokane, St. Louis, Toronto-Pearson, Tucson, Tulsa, Vancouver, Washington-Dulles, Washington-Reagan, Wichita)
- Ted operated by United Airlines (Cancún, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Miami, New Orleans, Ontario, Orlando, Phoenix, Puerto Vallarta, Reno/Tahoe, San Jose del Cabo, Tampa)
- United Express
- United Express operated by GoJet Airlines (San Antonio, Tulsa)
- United Express operated by Mesa Airlines (Aspen, Atlanta, Austin, Cedar Rapids, Charlotte, Colorado Springs, Des Moines, Durango, Eagle, Fargo, Grand Junction, Gunnison, Hayden/Steamboat Springs, Huntsville [begins February 14, 2007], Jackson Hole, Nashville, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, St. Louis, Tucson)
- United Express operated by Shuttle America (Dallas/Fort Worth, Toronto-Pearson)
- United Express operated by SkyWest (Albuquerque, Austin, Bentonville/Fayetteville, Birmingham (AL), Billings, Bismarck, Boise, Bozeman, Burbank, Calgary, Chicago/Rockford, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Columbus, Detroit, Durango, Edmonton, El Paso, Eugene, Fresno, Grand Junction, Grand Rapids, Houston-Intercontinental, Huntsville [begins February 14, 2007], Idaho Falls, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Madison, Medford, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Missoula, Moline, Montrose, Oklahoma City, Palm Springs, Pasco, Rapid City, Redmond/Bend, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Santa Barbara, Springfield, St. Louis, Tucson, Tulsa, Wichita, Winnipeg)

[edit] Concourse C

Gates C28 - C50

AirTran Airways (Atlanta)
Alaska Airlines (Anchorage [seasonal], Portland (OR), Seattle/Tacoma)
- Horizon Air (Non-Frontier JetExpress flights) (Portland (OR))
American Airlines (Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami)
- AmericanConnection operated by Trans States Airlines (St. Louis)
Big Sky Airlines (Billings, Sheridan)
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Salt Lake City)
- Delta Connection operated by Comair (Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky)
- Delta Connection operated by SkyWest (Salt Lake City)
Midwest Airlines (Milwaukee)
Northwest Airlines (Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul)
- Northwest Airlink operated by Pinnacle Airlines (Memphis)
Southwest Airlines (Baltimore/Washington, Chicago-Midway, Houston-Hobby, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Diego)
Sun Country Airlines (Minneapolis/St. Paul)
US Airways (Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh)
- US Airways operated by America West Airlines (Las Vegas, Phoenix)
- US Airways Express operated by Mesa Airlines (Phoenix)

[edit] Public transportation

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) operates frequent express bus service, called "SkyRide", between DIA and various locations throughout the Denver-Aurora and Boulder metropolitan areas. By 2015, RTD plans to build a commuter rail line from downtown Denver's Union Station through Aurora to DIA, as part of the FasTracks expansion program. Scheduled bus service is also available to points such as Fort Collins, Colorado and van services stretch into Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado summer and ski resort areas. Amtrak offers a Fly-Rail plan for ticketing with United Airlines for trips into scenic areas in the Western U.S. via a Denver stopover.