Airport Experience® News - Conference Issue 2024

LATEST BUZZ

Above, Left: With the DEN expansion has come new opportunities for concessions. Among the new concessions set to open soon are The Bindery, Uncle and Maria Empanada, all to be operated by Mission Yogurt.

is uniquely Colorado,” says Law, adding that “the glistening floor provides a modern and clean appearance, similar to a field after a Colorado snowfall. Broad views across the terminal relate to Colorado’s expansive horizons. Crisp, clean material of sparkling white tile, warm tone ceilings and walls enhance the quality of light throughout the terminal.” They’ve also taken great care to prioritize sustainability, with the goal to “become one of the greenest airports in the world. As a result, all of DEN’s projects are required to meet LEED Gold certification requirements,” Law adds. “Each new gate area includes a rooftop solar system projected to reduce the energy use of the facilities by 30% over conventional design. Additional energy-saving features include low-flow fixtures, toilets, and urinals, reduction in artificial exterior lighting and increased internal natural light.” The airport also prioritizes creating jobs. Law notes that based on the City of Denver Department of Finance modeling, the Great Hall Program has created more than 11,300 direct jobs, including those who work on the project, produce supplies and materials or work direct back-office jobs such as design, she adds. As they near the final stages of the airport’s latest improvements, Law and the DEN team hope that the new, expanded airport facilities help “passengers not only feel welcomed and comfortable, but that they feel a sense of ease while traveling through the new spaces,” she adds. “The new areas are bright and open and have comfortable seating... and state-of-the art technology really putting the customer experience first.”

to be operated by Tastes on the Fly -led Tastes DEN JV. Those concessions will in late spring and early summer of 2024. The Concourse Expansion Project will officially close out with the completion of a new ground-load facility in Concourse A for Frontier Airlines in mid-2024. In addition to the Concourse Expansion Program, the airport has made significant progress on its multiphase Great Hall Program, which adds more than 80,000 square feet to the airport’s busy Jeppesen Terminal. Focused on “enhancing security, increasing capacity, improving operational efficiency and elevating the passenger experience,” the first phase of the project, completed in November 2021, concentrated on new ticketing lobbies for United, Southwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines as well as creating four new restrooms and upgrading two of the existing restrooms. The second phase of the project, completed in early February 2024, created additional escalators and a new, state-of-the-art, 17-lane security checkpoint. The final phase of the project will create an additional 17-lane security checkpoint - slated to be complete in 2025 - as well as new ticketing lobbies, new meet and greet areas and as a specialized Center for Equity and Excellence in Aviation (CEEA), a “first-of-its-kind training center that will

help create a pipeline of aviation talent for our entire community in Denver and the aviation industry with a concentration on under-represented communities, historically underutilized business, people of color and women,” says Law. The CEEA, which is scheduled to launch in 2027, “fosters building generational wealth, establishing career pathways in the aviation industry, and serves as an innovation hub that will influence our global community,” she adds, noting that the 38,000-square foot facility will feature lecture halls, training rooms, a café and networking spaces. The buildout “will allow DEN and Denver to develop its aviation workforce, provide small and minority businesses with the tools to succeed,” says Law, “and allow DEN to lead the aviation industry in research and innovation.” But no matter where travelers roam in DEN, they’re sure to take note of the airport’s careful curation of Colorado inspired design elements, built in collaboration with construction firm Hensel Phelps , who are “proud to deliver the new Level 6 West Security Checkpoint (Great Hall Phase 2 Project) under budget and two months ahead of schedule,” says John Hudson, operations manager for the project. The space’s design “capitalizes on the terminal’s quality of natural light, which

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AX NEWS MARCH 2024