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DIA Celebrates Construction Milestone
Hefting an oversized mallet, Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock knocked a large pin from an anchor fitting, ceremonially releasing and transferring the Jeppesen Terminal roof load from cables to temporary towers.
Elected officials, aviation industry members, design and construction company representatives, and airport employees gathered on a hot sunny August morning just below the terminal's south window to witness this South Terminal Redevelopment Program construction milestone.
Built around exterior roof-bearing masts, two 75-ton towers will support the terminal's fiberglass roof for the duration of construction.
"Great things are going on in the great city of Denver," said Mayor Hancock. He told the audience that Denver International Airport has boundless potential. "We are the envy of every airport and every city around the globe."
Hancock emphasized that the South Terminal Redevelopment Program is expected to create nearly 1,000 jobs, including 600 to 700 construction and design jobs and more than 200 permanent hotel jobs, generating approximately $2 million in annual tax revenues for the City and County of Denver's general fund. The program also has offered opportunity for minority- and women-owned firms to participate as contractors or subcontractors. Of the 147 firms working on the program, 87 are owned by women or members of the minority community. One hundred thirty-one companies involved in the design and construction are local.
With a new 500-room Westin hotel and a public transit center that encompasses stations for both bus operations and the RTD FasTracks commuter railroad line, the original vision for DIA will be realized.
Aviation Manager Kim Day said that the ceremony officially unleashed the program and expanded the airport's contribution to the area's economic growth. She reminded everyone that the new railroad will connect DIA to downtown Denver. "That train changes our world," she said.
Mayor Hancock told the employees, "Just like the airport, each of you are world class." Echoing the mayor's sentiments, Day complimented the employees and the program management team, led by Stu Williams, and said they have been doing "just tremendous work in support of this initiative."
DIA unveiled a new architectural model and animation that shows how the hotel and train station will look. The model will be on display at Jeppesen Terminal's south end, and the animation can be viewed on DIA's YouTube Channel.
"In our new animation and architectural model, the public will see a modern, 21st-century design that complements our iconic Jeppesen Terminal," Day said.
"The station that rises here will be the doorway to all four corners of the metro area," said RTD Board First Vice Chair John Tayer. "Building the airport in the 1980s was a bold decision. That decision has been rewarded." He also stated that the 2004 referendum on the FasTracks program was a bold decision, and that both undertakings would complete the visions for DIA and mass transit in the Denver metro area.
The 500-room hotel that will be adjacent to Jeppesen Terminal will be operated by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, owners of Westin hotels. "When the Westin opens in 2015 it will be a jewel in the crown of Starwood properties," said Tom Curley, Starwood's area managing director (he's also general manager of the Westin Downtown Denver). "We are thrilled to bring Westin to DIA."
John Beeble, chairman of Saunders Construction and the representative for MHS Tri-Venture (Mortenson Hunt Saunders) added, "A project like the South Terminal Redevelopment Program is an important project for our region and to our communities. This project means jobs and economic development for the future, but it also means jobs today." He said that for every $1 million spent on construction, 21 jobs are generated.
MHS is the prime construction contractor and Gensler is the program's lead architect. Parsons is the contractor for program management.
North Dakota Oil Boom Fuels Flights
North Dakota's oil boom is bringing employment and unmatched growth to the only state that had more residents in 1930 than it does today. North Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate in the United States. In the past few years, the number of residents in the western part of the state has increased by more than 13 percent. Minot and Williston are two North Dakota cities that are experiencing a population boom as a result of the 113 million barrels of oil that the state produced in 2010. They are also two cities that are served as nonstop destinations from Denver International Airport.
Whether you are looking to begin a career in the oil industry in North Dakota, or if you simply want to see the state's beautiful scenery and wildlife, DIA offers the flight to get you there. The number of destinations served nonstop from Denver to North Dakota will grow from five to six next month when United Airlines begins twice-daily service to Grand Forks on Oct. 2, 2012. Denver currently has the following nonstop destinations to North Dakota:
(United Airlines and Frontier Airlines)
(Great Lakes)
(United Airlines)
(United Airlines)
(Great Lakes).
Frontier Airlines will resume nonstop flights to Fargo on Nov. 16, 2012, providing service three times a week. Frontier will serve Minot four times a week in November. Williston will gain three nonstop flights a day to and from Denver, starting Nov. 4, 2012.
Southwest Airlines Unveils a Tribute to Colorado
Southwest Airlines unveiled Colorado One, a Boeing 737-700 with a livery that is an artist's rendition of the Colorado state flag. Southwest showcased its newest specialty aircraft at a ceremony August 22, 2012, at Denver International Airport. More than 500 local employees and community leaders, along with Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock, Manager of Aviation Kim Day, and Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines chairman, president, and CEO.
"There is no question about it—Southwest Airlines LUVs Colorado!" said Kelly. "Denver is our fifth-largest city and has been the fastest growing city in our history, thanks in large part to our Front Range customers and our hard-working Colorado-based employees. What better way to thank them than by dedicating an aircraft in their honor!"
"Southwest Airlines is an invaluable partner, and the City of Denver is thrilled to share in their employee celebration," said Hancock. "The airline employees have brought Denver an ice rink, an outdoor lounge, and a basketball court in Skyline Park for residents and visitors to enjoy. I truly want to thank Southwest employees for your partnership and commitment to making Denver a world-class city where everyone matters. We certainly can feel the LUV."
"This day is a source of pride for all of us at Denver International Airport," said Day.
Southwest Airlines began service to Denver on Jan. 3, 2006, with 13 daily nonstop departures to three destinations. The airline currently operates 168 daily nonstop flights to 54 destinations from Denver. Colorado One joins 12 other 737s in the Southwest fleet that carry a unique paint scheme, including Arizona One, California One, Florida One, Illinois One, and three Shamu aircraft (SeaWorld).
Kelly, Governor Hickenlooper, Mayor Hancock, and Day closed the event by christening the aircraft amid fanfare.
To learn more about Southwest's activities in Denver, visit: southwest.com/denver. Follow these links to see how Southwest made Colorado One and to see video of the dedication ceremony:
www.swamedia.com/videos/time-lapse-the-making-of-colorado-one
www.swamedia.com/videos/southwest-unveils-colorado-one-b-roll
DIA Snow Crews Show Their Skills at Annual Snow Roadeo
Every year, Denver International Airport hosts a Snow Roadeo Competition, in which airport employees who operate snow removal equipment vie in four events that test their driving knowledge and operating skills. The events are:
- Single Axle Snow Plow – a two-person team event
- Tandem Axle Snow Plow – a two-person team event
- Wheel Loader – an individual event
- Motor Grader - an individual event
Thirty-nine drivers signed up to compete in the individual events, and 62 teams were set to earn a championship (some individuals and teams may have competed in more than one event). This year's roadeo was held on August 22.
Winners of DIA's Snow Roadeo will compete in the national Snow Roadeo event held in Estes Park, Colo., September 26 to 28 during the 32nd Annual Western Snow and Ice Conference.
To see a video about the Snow Roadeo click on this link: http://youtu.be/m6GKSq31nNg
DIA Passenger Volume for Second Quarter 2012 Virtually Unchanged from 2011's
Denver International Airport's passenger traffic has held steady for the second quarter with 13,492,033 passengers April through May. The second quarter of 2011 saw 13,522,656 passengers at DIA.
The first half of 2012 reflects virtually no change compared to the first half of 2011. The total number of passengers for January through June 2012 is 25,614,234 compared to 25,621,310 for the same time period in 2011.
"While we always prefer seeing strong growth, considering the capacity that has been removed from our market, these results are positive," said Aviation Manager Kim Day. "There is no question that the growth we've seen over the past few years is beginning to stabilize. 2011 was a record year for Denver International Airport and I'm going to remain cautiously optimistic that we can break another milestone in 2012. We've had a very busy summer this year and we're hoping for a strong shoulder season as we head into the busy holiday travel period, which is only two short months away."
June 2012 brought a 3.4 percent decrease in flight operations from 55,953 in 2011, to 54,036 in 2012. Cargo saw a 7.8 percent decrease in June from 47,080,199 pounds of cargo handled in 2011, to 42,322,037 pounds of cargo handled in 2012.
The complete June 2012 traffic report is available at: http://business.flydenver.com/stats/traffic/index.asp.
TSA Pre✓™ Coming to Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport has been selected to participate in TSA Pre✓™, a new TSA risk-based screening program for select frequent flyers who are traveling domestically on Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and US Airways.
Passengers who are eligible for TSA Pre✓™'s expedited screening, will have their eligibility information imbedded on their boarding pass barcode. TSA's document checker reads the barcode at the designated TSA Pre✓™ checkpoint and passengers who qualify for expedited screening will be directed to a TSA Pre✓™ lane for quick, convenient screening. Passengers who qualify may be able to leave on their shoes, lightweight jacket or outerwear and belt, leave their laptop in its case and their 3-1-1 travel-size liquids/gels bag in their carry-on bag. Still, TSA will always incorporate random and unpredictable security measures and no individuals are guaranteed expedited screening.
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and US Airways frequent flyers are some of the first passengers in the nation to be eligible to participate. The airline will notify eligible passengers that they may opt into the program. Passengers who are not eligible frequent flyers can still qualify for TSA Pre✓™ by becoming eligible members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Trusted Traveler programs, including Global Entry, SENTRI and NEXUS. The focus of those programs may be international travel, but as an added bonus, they automatically allow passengers to be eligible for TSA Pre✓™'s domestic travel benefits. Learn more at www.globalentry.gov.
The benefit to qualified passengers at Denver International Airport is a quicker and more convenient checkpoint screening experience. The benefit to TSA is that TSA Pre✓™ enables officers to focus their efforts on the passengers that it knows nothing about and high-risk passengers, while providing expedited screening and a better experience for those travelers TSA knows the most about.
Learn more at www.tsa.gov.
Air Service News
United Adds Two to DEN Network
United announced twice-daily nonstop service to Grand Forks, N.D. (GFK), beginning Oct. 2, 2012, and three-times daily nonstop service to Williston, N.D. (ISN), beginning Nov. 4, 2012.
Southwest to Launch Louisville
Southwest Airlines will have daily nonstop service between DIA and Louisville, Ky. (SDF), starting Nov. 4, 2012. United Airlines and Frontier Airlines currently fly nonstop between Denver and Louisville (Frontier ends its flight Jan. 9, 2013).
Frontier Adds Three Midwest Destinations
Frontier recently announced new service to Cleveland, Ohio, (CLE) with daily flights four times a week beginning Jan. 9, 2013. Frontier also will begin flying between Denver and South Bend, Ind. (SBN), with four weekly nonstop flights beginning Oct. 11, 2012. The airline will also revive nonstop service between Denver and Fargo, N.D. (FAR), with three weekly nonstop flights beginning on Nov. 16, 2012. Frontier last served Fargo in 2010.
Más to Mexico City
Mexican low-cost carrier Volaris announced that it will provide nonstop service between Denver and Mexico City's Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX) on Dec. 8, 2012. The airline will operate on Saturdays and Sundays with two departures per week.
Volaris joins United and AeroMexico in serving Mexico City. United provides once-weekly service December through August. AeroMexico operates four weekly departures, December through July.
Contributors
Kevin Andrews – Photographer
Laura Coale – Writer
Douglas Howard – Graphic Design
Steve Klodt – Chief Editor
Jenny Schiavone – Writer
Mikhail Vafeades – Writer
City & County of Denver Department of Aviation
8500 Peña Boulevard | Denver, Colorado U.S.A. | 80249-6340
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