COSPILOT

Plenty of expansion within the other two Concourses, but my only concern is with UA:

Looks like United will have 11 extra gates in the B Concourse if this moves forward. 4 new gates on the West end, and 7 on the East. Looking at the linked document below, it appears we will finally have normal gates on the North/East end, or rather like our current UX gates on the South/East, but still a huge improvement over the wind tunnel gates, but maybe my eyes are simply seeing what I want to see?

Hard to tell, but despite searching, I haven't found better info than what I see in the linked info below:

http://www.documentcloud.org/documen...l#document/p16

TravellingMan

Your document shows where the action is going to be - C Concourse with 16 gates for Southwest (probably).

I really hope the A Concourse expansion goes to new Intl carriers - ME3? TK?

More than anything, I hope they dont screw up with the design again. It is bad enough to see the ugly Westin hotel building every week whilst approaching the airport. Not to mention the pain of getting to the new Transit center - the new windtunnel at DIA.

COSPILOT

I don't hold the hatred for the new Westin that many do, as I think we were long overdue for an attached hotel to the airport. Even stayed at the Westin a few times and I like it.

I doubt the A gate expansion is for more international, but more likely for Frontier. Agree that C gates will be for Southwest.

I'm just trying to figure out what exactly will happen with B, as that is solely UA. Dumping the current (and what I would call temporary gates) and replacing them with real UX gates isn't necessarily what I was hoping for, but still an improvement. Given UA is adding CRJ200's at a pretty fast pace, I guess my hopes of more mainline out of DEN are simply hope and nothing more.

TravellingMan

The document you attached, mentions that if the international expansion goes faster than planned then $10M would be spent to convert existing A gates to support that. Which leads me to believe that the A expansion is being targeted for Intl expansion, which should be feasible considering that this is 5+ years from now.

The UX terminal are of 2 kinds; the 80+ stretch is quite far already (probably maxed out from a distance standpoint) and the other being the 59+ stretch which looks like a temporary site. I feel they might change the 59+ to look like the 80+ stretch and add more gates to the opposite side of the existing 59+ gates. Which could fit another 6 gates plus some concession stands and restrooms.

DEN is going to get more CRJ love from UA Mainline is going more HD, so I presume they can handle it with the existing gates.

Off topic -

When you approach DIA on E-470 it is a sight to behold to see the white sails from a distance, but once you are on Pena Blvd approaching DIA the ugliness of the Westin building blocking the once beautiful sight of the white sails is what makes it disappointing. I reckon once you enter the Westin, it is just another hotel. The hatred is towards the creation of a modern eyesore.

BTW what is with the Vegas style flashing lights as you approach the airport in the evenings? If you are on Pena Blvd you are headed to the airport, there is no mistaking it. Why this sign now? It is very tricky to drive that stretch with the blinding TV screens and flashing lights. I think it is a traffic accident waiting to happen. Are those light posts not a hazard since we do get tornadoes in this part of the country? The people who run DIA are completely nuts!

Add from Denver Post - http://www.denverpost.com/2017/10/16...doubles-price/

$14.5 M for a stupid sign!!!

Councilman Rafael Espinoza called the contract revision for a separate vote, then was the only member to vote against it.

He said after the meeting that he saw better uses for the money at the airport and viewed the sign as unnecessary, given DIA’s rapid passenger growth. “We just don’t need it,” Espinoza said.

Bonehead

Denver's airport getting massive welcome sign made of LED lights

Love Kyle Clark's allusion to Blucifer the Demon Horse near the end of the piece

Total travesty. As soon as I read about it, I flashed back to IAH, where they removed all the flight/airline/terminal information from giant signs on the approach roads because they distracted drivers and caused a traffic hazard. This is much worse, I think. Idiots.

tods27

I think that the international expansion would be just building the steps onto existing gates, not the new gates.

tods27

I don't understand why they took out the old sign to do this new one. The old one was only a couple years old.

TravellingMan

The best part is there are already "bad spots" on the light parade within days of unveiling it. Probably by January we will have half the lights malfunctioning which will be even more of an eyesore.

Bonehead

This is totally different.

TravellingMan

From the document:

WHY WE NEED MORE GATES
• Gate utilization: most gates average more than 6 turns per day
• Accommodating international flights requires creative maneuvering
of flight schedules and holding of aircraft

OTHER RISKS AND MITIGATION
STRATEGIES

Faster than planned international growth

Options to convert 4 additional
domestic gates on Concourse A to
international swing gates at about
$10M

tods27

I get that the sign is different, I don't see what was wrong with the old sign. Why spend the money?

safari ari

THIS SO MUCH!! My friend and I had a discussion on it, what is the point to put TVs and lights and create more congestion entering/leaving the airport. Talk about government waste

tods27

Thanks. Didn't read through everything carefully, but that was my expectation.

TravellingMan

The old sign was muted and quite subtle in style. Which did not make DIA any money, the new one will "pay for itself" in form of ads from concession stands in the airport.

After you drive 9 miles down Pena Blvd you dont need signs to say you are approaching the airport. Pretty late IMO.

Bonehead

It's not just "a sign". It's a long, winding, flashing, psychedelic banner in part (at least) paid for by Panasonic, I believe.