Why Denver Airport Is So Big

Denver Airport is the biggest airport in America. it is 9 times the size of LAX and is truly a masterpiece in transportation and architecture. the airport will soon be the airport with the most runways as its future project for 12 runways unfolds.
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[@Gravem1nd]

A vast network of tunnels and passages do exist beneath DIA, but they aren’t a secret. Maintenance workers and cleaners use them to get around. I worked as a cleaning technician (janitor) for a couple years at DIA. Once I got turned around in the under city, the sprawl of garages and tunnels beneath the airport. We are talking MILES of tunnels and hallways with no cell service. It took three hours for me to find an exit.

[@Broadvay]

Exactly, but I found some websites portraying these as some secret, and a lot of people do believe that too, funny though😂

[@zekeonstormpeak4186]

The tunnels are primarily for moving baggage from the terminal to the 3 concourses. I know them like the back of my hand. I worked there from opening day in 1995 until 2020. I’m pretty sure there are no secret ones!!

[@zekeonstormpeak4186]

There’s no way it would take 3 hours to find an exit?? Unless you were on foot, which pedestrian traffic is not allowed!!

[@hyy3657]

not a bad design in this snowy city

[@macmedic892]

Three hours to find an exit?! That is a huge life-safety hazard. If someone has a medical emergency or there is a fire, that inability to get help or escape can cost lives.

[@evkennedy]

Growing up in Denver I never realized how “unique” our airport is… I assumed every airport in the US is that massive and stressful Lol

[@davidconner-shover51]

Growing up with Stapleton, I remember the jet bridges over I70 watching 747s cross over as you drove under (my folks drove anyways) There was a definite Jetsons vibe inside. but, it had to go, way too busy for the space

[@michaelhunsinger8351]

DIA is a lot of things but stressful generally isn't one of them in my opinion. I grew up in Denver and now I live in the greater LA area. DIA is WAY less stressful than LAX. The layout of LAX is so constrained by space that the flow is just awful. DIA on the other hand is a smooth experience. The restaurants aren't as crowded, drop-off and pickup are a lot smoother due to the extra space, etc..... The only downsides to me are the mandatory train rides from terminals B and C as well as the long drive down Pena Blvd.

[@Playguu]

@@michaelhunsinger8351 Yeah honestly I've always felt DIA has provided one of the more comfortable and straightforward travel experiences compared to other large airports in the country. Except for the trips up and down Pena Blvd as you mentioned, that's just torture...

[@rogergeyer9851]

As a kid, I was often stunned and disappointed, once I realized how messed up things actually WERE, vs. how I thought they should be, especially re assuming things were generally the same everywhere. Since you said "growing up", such a mistake is certainly understandable. Actually, I'm stunned how little humans seem to learn from the messes of bad design, short term thinking causing crowding, etc. with things like airports. So now many major airports have crossing runways, and all the risks, costs, and complexities those entail. If you look at a lot of US air bases, their design is more like the Denver airport, re sufficient room, no crossing runways, etc. (Re, checking it out on the internet).

[@michaelhunsinger8351]

@@rogergeyer9851 I think the crossing runway thing is a cost/space saving measure. If an airport has 2 runways crossing and only ever uses 1 at a time based on wind conditions, then it is space efficient to have crossing runways. The US Air Force is backed by the federal government which has eminent domain and doesn't have to pay property tax, so they can optimize more for operations and less for budget. When DIA was built it was out in the middle of nowhere so there wasn't a lot of competition or demand for that land. They went hog wild with the layout and have an optimal design for operations using several runways simultaneously. The DIA layout won't work in a city like New York, Chicago or LA however.

[@spooderman917]

3:15 yeah that's an incredible runway layout

[@SerialDesignationB13]

why is my hand controling by itself? 🙋🏻‍♂️

[@jakeedits312]

🤔🤨🇩🇪

[@UploadBotYT]

🇩🇪🇩🇪

[@Justsomegamergamingandstuff]

It's because the weather here is so unpredictable. Six non-interecting runways that face different directions means no matter what the wind is, they can take off and land

[@OpinionatedAsshole]

adolf the architect

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

The history behind their blue horse statue Blucifer is absolutely wild: The sculptor of Blucifer was Luis Jiménez. The sculpture was commissioned in 1992 for 300K but wasn't erected until 2008. The original proposal was for a bison stampede. But developers thought this was inappropriate because the bison was driven to near extinction. So he proposed a mustang instead, as it's a symbol of the West and how people used to travel long distances on horses! He was inspired by his own stallion he had growing up, an Appaloosa named Blackjack. Why is it blue? Because of a Colorado legend of a power stallion that was a leader amongst mustangs, always capable of finding water and grass for the herd. This mustang also happened to have a blue coat, with red eyes, and at times, was said to be capable of flight. And why is it glowing? As a tribute to his father's neon workshop! Tragically, this sculpture would cause the death of Luis in 2006 as while working on it in his studio in New Mexico, one of the sculpture's three sections came loose from a hoist, pinning him against a steel support beam and severing an artery. He bled to death. He died at age 65. Friends and family of him were conflicted as to whether or not to continue the sculpture. But to avoid having to pay Denver for missing another deadline and failing to deliver, they chose to finish it with the help of the artist's staff and professional racecar painters.

[@ahuehuete4703]

I love showing Blucifer to people visiting us when I pick them up. They are stunned that something so creepy is on display.

[@Joe26003]

I thought is was to represent the Denver Broncos!

[@aandwdabest]

Damn the story behind the blue mustang is tragic.

[@hmoobmeeka]

Its avery the cuban american

[@StevenEveral]

I've flown into DEN a few times. It's a bit strange if you're not used to it. On the approach if you're looking out the window, all you can see is flat Colorado prairie. If you didn't know better, you might think your plane is about to crash into the prairie. It gets closer and closer to you until you see the fences and other accoutrements of Denver Airport in the last 10 seconds before landing.

[@aeugenegray]

it takes like a half hour to drive there from Denver. Kind of a pain, not sure if they have the light rail up and running, but i was a long bus ride you didnt rent a car

[@rsette]

@@aeugenegray The Commuter Rail link has been up and running since Spring 2014.

[@nickmonks9563]

Don't forget the turbulence. You are almost guaranteed a bumpy final approach. Personally, along with Blucifer, it's a point of pride. "Caution all ye who enter here..." Further confirmation of Denver's dark sense of humor.

[@ahuehuete4703]

@@nickmonks9563 I've had far more smooth landings than turbulent landings at DIA. Turbulence is more likely if you fly in on a summer afternoon.

[@ahuehuete4703]

@@aeugenegray And hour from Denver? Heck, I can't get there in an hour from Fort Collins if take the toll road.

[@sliferxxxx]

Among FAA facilities, DIA is one of only 5 stand alone towers that are a category 12. Category 12 are the highest level FAA facilities.

[@LeelssDelta]

TRACON too...although center is only rated at 10 (and theyre salty about it)

[@JacobWillits]

I think theres a greenbrier situation going on there

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

It's similar to the story of how Atlanta became the world's busiest airport. Before Atlanta, Delta used to operate out of Monroe, Louisiana. They chose the Mississippi Delta because of its centralized location within the southern states that had a greater need for the firm business offerings. This is where the airline's name came from. They moved to Atlanta in 1941 because the area was growing economically with the presence of key companies such as Coca-Cola. With most of Delta's initial passengers being people in business looking to hop between meetings quickly, it made sense to switch to Atlanta. Delta has since taken advantage of its location on not just the East Coast but also the South, giving it easy access to the Caribbean, Europe, South America, and beyond. And it being at a corner of the US also gives Delta the excuse to do several regional flights to/from small markets to lure people into Atlanta. And of course because of all those skiers coming to enjoy Colorado's winter beauty, Denver International has to be prepared, so they have a carousel at baggage claim specifically for skis and snowboards. The train at 4:52 is a Silverliner V, which is the same ones that SEPTA use. While other systems in North America run on tracks that were inherited from much older infrastructure, Denver's commuter rail system was built from scratch...and ALL electrified! The RTD commuter rail system is the result of FasTracks. Thanks to a 2004 referendum in support of it, the project is a multibillion-dollar public transportation expansion plan consisting of new commuter rail, light rail, and express bus services. The first of the six new lines envisioned in the plan, the W Line to Golden, opened for revenue service in April 2013. The A Line (which directly serves the airport) opened in April 2016.

[@scpatl4now]

Atlanta also serves 75 international destinations. Fun fact...the control tower at ATL is the tallest one in the US

[@jeddtam9085]

how do you know all this, like randomly what train model SEPTA uses

[@scpatl4now]

@@jeddtam9085 Because he is the Supreme Leader...😁

[@jp8612]

@@scpatl4now im pretty sure its also the busiest in the world

[@scpatl4now]

@@jp8612 It is

[@Josh4x4]

When my parents moved myself and my siblings to Colorado in 1996, I thought the airport was futuristic the first time we flew there. Today it does still feel like an infinitely expandable facility. Freaking cool!

[@kingMT514]

3:16 had me worried for a second😅

[@einnamewaregut]

as a german I was shocked for a moment and considerd if such a layout would even be possible in germany

[@Justsomegamergamingandstuff]

It's because the weather here is so unpredictable. Six non-interecting runways that face different directions means no matter what the wind is, they can take off and land

[@maxvandoorn3799]

@@einnamewaregut Wäre es nicht aber aus anderen Gründen. Das Layout ist so ziemlich das Platzverschwendenste Layout was es gibt, wird sehr schwer in Deutschland so ein Ding zu bauen.

[@kdaltex]

Sig! Sauer! Sig! Sauer!

[@wf13MT-x4i]

lol, there has been people saying that the airport was made to look *that* way. I think you get what I mean.

[@saturnv2419]

Worth pointing out thought, the reason why DIA has runway going in all four direction is not due to design choice but necessity in plane operations. Denver is notorious for its unpredictable winds, which can change depends on the time of the day as well as height above the airport. Plane usually takeoff and land head into the wind, and always try to avoid landing in a wind sheer, meaning perpendicular to the wind direction. Since Denver is always windy yet the wind change directions all the time, having runways in all four directions make sure the airport can operate in any wind direction.

[@josephfromtheatl9113]

I visited the Denver International Airport in 2015 and the airport was like a city within a city. The airport was easy to navigate and the airport staff was very helpful in helping me find my way around the airport.

[@ColoradoStreaming]

After spending a few hours layover in the Chicago O'Hare airport I really appreciated how well laid out and open DIA is.

[@Russellsauce]

I’ve lived in Colorado all my life and have used DIA whenever we fly somewhere, but I’ve never really noticed how different it is from other airports

[@DanielGarcia1980]

The local market is much bigger than you described. DIA serves the entire Northern Front Range and to some degree the whole state via connecting flights which accounts for nearly 6 million people in just the local market.

[@alexlarson2466]

The lady in the video is factually wrong about so much. It's really quite sad

[@jaxinco]

@@alexlarson2466 Yes, she said Denver Metroarea has 8 million people!

[@nickmonks9563]

@@jaxinco Actually, she said the airport was build to handle a Metro area of 8 million people; i.e., built large to accommodate long term growth.

[@texaswunderkind]

If you look at the flight board inside of the airport, you see that DIA serves medium-sized cities and towns all over the upper Midwest, into Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, etc. For many of those areas, the only way to get anywhere is to fly into DIA first.

[@alquinn8576]

@@texaswunderkind Al Quinn lived in western nebraska and would drive ~170 miles to fly out of DEN

[@C.Q_Wilkenson]

With the thin air, takeoffs are fun out of Denver with planes taking up to a minute to get off the ground, and they do so at a very gentle angle.

[@ahuehuete4703]

So true, the take off roll seems to take forever, especially on a hot summer day.

[@richdobbs6595]

You are kidding yourself if you think of that as being caused by thin air. It is reflection of how large the airport is.

[@hostiletoaster7395]

@@richdobbs6595 brother

[@maleprincess62]

​@@richdobbs6595Atmospheric pressure is like the most important part of plane performance dude

[@richdobbs6595]

@@maleprincess62 The Denver airport before DIA was Stapleton. The flight paths were much steeper, to reduce flight noise in the surrounding areas. Commercial aircraft have plenty of power to take off at a steep angle even in Denver if it was necessary.

[@PeterTeehan]

6:22 The roof top was also designed to mitigate tornado damage if one should ever occur. The region is prone to receive tornado warnings, and some do touchdown near the airport.

[@pyhead9916]

Not true.

[@PeterTeehan]

@@pyhead9916 Very much true

[@sqrt2gmr]

​@@pyhead9916From Colorado Springs. They definitely touch down in mine and Denver's vicinity. Tornadoes even cross the continental divide (take for instance the Yellowstone F4). Just because they are on the foothills of the mountains means nothing; Windsor was hit by an EF3 in 2008. Just this year we've had a very high-end EF1 right by Pike's Peak, another EF1 slam into the southern suburbs of Denver, and numerous funnels/landspouts over Denver's actual airport.

[@jacksongennet967]

@@pyhead9916They do. Why else would you see the tornado shelter signs on the bathroom entrances in each terminal?

[@ddxs12]

@@pyhead9916 what do you base that baseless claim on?

[@Chris-lh7wj]

A lot of people complain about DIA, but I like it. Love the stories, the weird art, the architecture, the mountain outlines in the distance. I also find it more efficient to have a single security entry point with easy train access to the 3 terminals.

[@alquinn8576]

there is 1 terminal but 3 concourses. have fun getting through the "efficient" security for a 6AM flight though!

[@jacksongennet967]

⁠@@alquinn8576Better than the 5 at SFO.

[@JeffTheBackPackTraveler]

Flew into this airport just a few days ago, I spent 4 hours in it when I landed just exploring. Amazing airport

[@ramonnape]

Denver International is so big because the metropolitan area of denver was forseen to become extremely huge and populated, not only that, the satellite cities to the north and south of Denver are also expected to become huge, becoming an extremely large urban Conurbation, already happening. The beauty of the mighty rockies, and the pleasant weather is what brings people in droves to Colorado.

[@aviay]

It's so big as it needs longer runways due to the higher elevation.

[@9876karthi]

Construction of Denver airport is one of the paper is some universities...to study how NOT to plan a mega projects. Also there is a saying how come then Denver mayors/politicians relatives bought large lands around the Airport just a month before the location was announced.

[@triple7marc]

They also had the room to build large, so they built large.

[@dublinpatterson8200]

Nope wrong 😭 population of a area or projected population of a area plays little affect in planning a airport size and layout the 2 big factors are what planes are flying and how many planes are flying , like the video states Denver was never really projected to be a new York and a la but it has a bigger airport so no it has nothing to do with city growth

[@mirzaahmed6589]

Pleasant weather? Every time I visited Denver it was cold and grey.

[@Sacto1654]

The reason why Denver International Airport is so bag was the same reason why Charles de Gaulle International Airport near Paris is so big: the ability to handle more traffic and growth potential in future years, along with better noise abatement control.

[@hus390]

Denver isn’t Paris😂

[@Sacto1654]

@@hus390 But Charles de Gaulle Airport was built pretty far from central Paris because it gave it room to expand. Just like Denver’s current airport.

[@KanyeTheGayFish69]

@@hus390yes, in Denver the streets aren’t an inferno every other week.

[@TuNnL]

​@@hus390you're right in the sense that Denver has a much higher elevation than Paris. Because of that, the runways must be BIGGER than Paris, because the thinner air requires longer runways for airplanes to take off. All of this is in the video. 💁🏻‍♂️

[@alquinn8576]

@@hus390 Denver is nicer than Paris. No scummy immigrants burning parked cars every night, for example

[@Matt-wc2mf]

Could've just left it at geography. Denver is by far the largest metro area in a very empty 500 mile radius (only other major cities in that area are SLC and Albuquerque). That circle would cover most of Western Europe. So imagine if the only major airport serving Germany, Eastern France, Czechia, Slovakia, Austria, Poland, Hungary, etc was in Frankfurt. That's why Denver has always had a busy airport, and why they decided they needed to plan for a huge one when they were building a new one.

[@MustafaOzanAlpay]

2:25 looks like the angry moustache man built this airport.

[@dylanshaffer2184]

Denver is also United’s Largest Hub in terms of traffic of flights. And it will continue to grow. Denver is also looking to get direct flights to Türkiye 🇹🇷 and Looking towards African destinations

[@YouNune]

ORD is bigger for UA

[@dylanshaffer2184]

@@YouNune as a hub you’re right for now

[@sidv4615]

@@dylanshaffer2184 why do some people call it turkiye while others turkey? is that like the local name?

[@dylanshaffer2184]

@@sidv4615 Turkey 🇹🇷 changed its official name to Türkiye 🇹🇷 in 2021 so maybe it’s been too soon for people to adjust to the name change, or they just use the other name for their convenience.

[@JustCaden]

I’ve heard about Turkey coming in but sadly we still don’t have anymore African flights yet

[@mentonerodominicano]

They built it big because they had the space to do it, so why not? It's for sure a wonderful example of growth-oriented infrastructure. Although it could use some better signage in some of the terminals. The first time I landed in DEN (coming from MDW) it felt like it took forever to land because the landscape is so homogenous and empty, there is no reference point when you're a passenger looking out from the plane. I also underestimated how spread out everything is in Denver Metro. When I caught glimpse of the city, it looked like it was in another State and the Rockies were not visible at all.

[@SanBrunoBeacon]

One of the reasons why Denver International Airport is so big is that because of its location in the central United States it must also be ready to operate as a very busy military airport during a military emergency.

[@justinbauer7226]

0:05 that’s a photo of Antalya, Turkey; not Colorado, or the Rockies, or the US, or North America for that matter.

[@kevinvaz4320]

I visited Denver recently and all the weird sculptures got me all curious. That blue horse was quite spooky.

[@LincolnDWard]

The blue horse is even spookier once you know its story. It was originally supposed to be a more natural color, but it fell and killed the original sculptor when he was almost finished with it. His brother took over and was ultimately the one who decided on the blue color.

[@alquinn8576]

horse is colloquially called "Blucifer"

[@sir9integra9jr]

^^^ every Coloradan third grader’s favorite story to try to scare their classmates with during art class

[@kevinb3812]

DIA is served by pretty decent trains to downtown Denver and ultimately others areas. I wish they were high speed trains, then Denver "would be cooking with gas" as my old trolley and bus driving grandpa would say.

[@fjp3305]

I'm glad someone in the US likes HSR, but the problem is that there is no big city, or cities, less than 500 mi. from Denver.

[@rsette]

@kevinb3812 It's already commuter rail, by federal law traveling at up to 79 mph. What more do you want? A 300 mph Maglev traveling in an urban area that never is able to get up to full speed?

[@davidconner-shover51]

@@fjp3305 no, but, like the video showed, Skier visits are pretty big in the winter, many flights to Grand Junction, Eagle, Aspen, Steamboat.... as well as plenty of people bussing or driving to these locations Several local private bus companies do great business with this

[@POTheta001]

I just rode that train a few days ago. $10.50 gets you from DIA to Union Station in downtown Denver in 37 minutes.

[@neomarlog5406]

having moved to denver last summer, it is by far the best airport i have seen (US). everything is clean and super automated, feels streamlined and generally hassle free from my experience

[@citizenschallengeYT]

Heck you could do a whole show on the day Stapleton closed and the nearly endless parade of equipment driving to DIA and then DIA going on line. That was amazing and kinda fun to witness. Feb 27, 1995

[@dcmoore1959]

Denver didn’t want to just settle with a hub for United & Continental. They sought Delta’s Salt Lake City hub as well as for American to build a hub there. They had to settle for Southwest & Frontier.

[@THarSul]

Lol, you forgot to mention the best parts about the horse, it’s name is “blucifer” and it literally killed it’s creator 😂

[@ntatenarin]

I love how they planned for the future! I definitely want to visit Denver one day. Because it's famous for it's winter stuff, I'm wondering if it's also awesome in the summer? Also, I need to see that Hell Horse at the airport!

[@Virtuous_Rogue]

If you're into hiking, summer can be better than winter. No ski traffic to/from Denver is always nice.

[@texaswunderkind]

Rocky Mountain National Park alone makes the region worth visiting.

[@zacharyb7638]

yes it's extremely beautiful in the summer.

[@darringraham2613]

May I suggest a hotel it is called the overlook hotel have an outstanding room for vips 237🤣♥️✈️

[@JustCaden]

@@texaswunderkindno one from Colorado ever goes there it’s kinda crowded and touristy

[@mazda9624]

DIA is probably the easiest to navigate airports I've ever been to, yet I always hear people say the opposite about it which simply makes no sense to me. Also, I hate all of the construction they've been doing inside the main terminal over the past 3 or so years.

[@brodyweller90]

They can actually only take off in Denver in 2 directions at a time but having all four helps traffic no matter the wind direction.

[@DangGoodLuis]

I once tried to be cheap and walk out of this airport rather than pay for an Uber. I wish I had seen this video beforehand.

[@Re-Reloading]

I lived in Stapleton and fun fact, it’s name got re-voted to Central Park

[@TheRealCryptoSchizo]

I love the unique layout of the airport runways. Such a cool shape! I wish I could remember what it reminds me of…

[@Michael-sb8jf]

6:00 except that most people in Kansas live within an hour of KC and Wichita and its simply easier to get an international flight via connection through those airports which may connect through Denver but most will be out of Dallas Chicago and Atlanta

[@robertwprice]

Did you do all your research on Wilkipedia? When talking about Denver, and the mountains in Colorado, use stock footage that is at least from the same state.

[@drmattdenver]

Someone below commented that there is only one security area at DIA. There is actually another smaller one at the north end of the terminal, on level 6. It is the gateway to the A Concourse. Less traffic in the security area. If you are going to B-C concourses, walk across the land bridge, take the elevator down to the trains, and continue on to B-C.

[@sw33t.angela]

That one is still under construction, being expanded.

[@JermStone]

It's damn near centralized in a beautiful part of the country. It connects east and west and the rest of the world.

[@humanchalk2835]

I have family that lives as close to the airport as you can and you can just sit outside and watch airplanes, it’s kinda fun

[@ironbeagle1610]

growing up with this as my default airport, I never understood until recently just how insane DIA is. a large portion of the airport is a giant tent, with a more recentrly built westin hotel next to it that looks like a giant ship. as you drive in theres the infamous "blucifer" the giant blue horse statue with glowing red eyes. there are all sorts of fun little easter eggs inside the airport as well. and all the while the airport is easy and smooth to navigate, somehow it had never felt as hectic as any other airport I have visited. not to mention the tunnel network, and also the conspiracty theories, interestingly all of the temporary walls hiding some recent construction have funny jokes referencing the theories, like "sorry the contruction is taking so long, the lizard people took our tools.

[@Michael_Livingstone]

As a Canadian connecting through Denver, I found the airport to be very easy and straightforward.

[@markrichards6863]

I agree, it's much better to connect through Denver than through Atlanta.

[@casperguo7177]

Denver is definitely better than most American airports although YVR is still undefeated vs all the US airports I’ve been to

[@walterbrown8694]

For openers, the runways need to be long to satisfy operation at 1 mile plus altitude - (density altitude will be significantly higher on occasion ).

[@shawnvestey4920]

the ski resort between 5:12-5:26 is literally beech mountain ski resort in north carolina

[@michalvarga8515]

There's a bunch of inaccuracies in the video. She says Denver Metro has a population of 2 million, when it's actually 2.985, so really three million :D

[@rogergeyer9851]

@@michalvarga8515: Between our modern education system and the "click for revenue" model of the internet (like KZbin, et al), sadly, quality and accuracy are NOT exactly prized on most websites, videos, etc.

[@educatedguess5093]

@@michalvarga8515 actually more like 4ML, with all of the illegals

[@SpaceMan101South]

The fact that Denver International is also the largest employer in the state of Colorado.

[@johnmkwii9393]

Grew up in denver, had a friend in fifth grade who said that the way that fence around the airport pointed would tell us when the end times would begin am now in hs and thats the most tame theory ive heard of the airport so far

[@ryanjordan1083]

Great video! You did leave out the part that the horse, as it was finished, fell on its creator and killed him. Adding to the legend even more.

[@Broadvay]

Thanks, and what, really that's so crazy, I didn't hear that before.

[@dylanshaffer2184]

@@Broadvayya I can attest to that, that is the truth.

[@eddieolkeriil5385]

That's why Bluecifer has red eyes... It has the blood of its creator on it.

[@dylanshaffer2184]

@@eddieolkeriil5385 Oh blucifer, love it, respect it, fear it

[@rsette]

@@scotttild It has not been taken down. Public art purchased for the airport will remain in the airport. Restoration and protection from the current construction project explains why some of the "creepy artwork" is currently not viewable.

[@JGtheChampion]

I litterally just flew into Denver’s airport yesterday so obviously I’m gonna watch it

[@palmerquam3054]

I live in Denver and it is very time consuming to make it throgh the airport.

[@badjokes4ever905]

I live south of Denver and fly out of there if I’m gonna fly and it’s always super smooth with the largest inconvenience being a possible long walk

[@MrHav1k]

Fascinating, I didn't know all of this!!

[@ChlckenNugget]

You should really do a video on Atlanta’s airport.

[@Clarence_Oddbody]

DIA is more infamously known for its disastrous prototype automated baggage handling system that had to be abandoned for more traditional procedures. Other present day systems are built off of DIA’s prototype. It was a mix of design and software flaws that often had it acting as a designer missile launcher as the routing armatures would send bags flying off the conveyers.

[@davidconner-shover51]

A similar system plagued the newer Berlin airport as well, which was started only a couple of years after DIA was started

[@catethornbury]

Really neat overview of DIA! I really appreciate your in-depth research and very understandable format. One thing that I was waiting for in the video but missed, specifically the blue horse statue is that it fell over and killed the artist right before it was done, as things could get even crazier.

[@creamsmoothie2020]

Thank you for getting straight to the point. Most youtubers stall. Thank you.

[@Broadvay]

thank you for watching

[@annhenry6893]

Wow. Amazing. How bout all those new rail cars they're adding. Pretty cool they gonna be a fun ride.

[@lovatojonasfan1]

There’s also a statue of Jack Swiggert: the CSM pilot of Apollo 13.

[@billolsen4360]

Only astronaut I ever met.

[@richdobbs6595]

Having lived in the Denver metro area off and on since 1984, I can give you a less up-beat take. Stapleton was quite convenient to the downtown area, the city itself, and inner ring suburbs. The folks living around that area had bought, knowing that there was an airport there. The area took a long time to redevelop, and part of Denver next to the new developments are still a not a pleasant part of the city. Many cities have airports that are largely in the middle of urban development. If they were trying to make an air transit system that well served the people of Colorado, they could have made regional airports north and south along the Front Range. But, there was big money to made in real estate development by shutting down Stapleton. The new airport is designed for the benefit of the airlines. It is inconvenient for nearly everyone to get to, and they are only now getting mass transit, which won't really change that situation. The layout of the airport is really inefficient for things like parking and hotels. There was so much space the designers weren't driven to make good solutions for when they were building it, but could excuse any inefficiency because they were building it to accommodate 2050. Miss your turn in, no problem you can loop around with a ten mile drive! Ten minute bus drive from the shuttle lots past acres of empty land, no problem. Same with hotels. It is like somebody studied urban sprawl for lessons.

[@Lawfair]

I flew out of DIA for a school trip the day it opened, the opening date had kept getting pushed back and we weren't certain if we really would be flying out of DIA or Stapleton until a week before. Another comment I read says that the joke was DIA stood for "doesn't include aircraft", but because of the delays the nickname I remember was "done in April/August" (it was supposed to open in March). Despite living ten minutes from the airport and being able to watch most planes take off or land from my house, there were things in this video I've never seen before, it seems it has been a long long time since I last flew.

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Thank you for sharing a nice big airport. It does have the amenities inside there to go to.. And with the train system to take from downtown Denver, it is easy to get there to the airport. I flew to Denver years before the train system was done.

[@annhenry6893]

Yeah. Those trains only going one way.

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Thank you fir for sharing again. Happy New Years!! 🥂 🥂 ☺

[@sal-the-man]

the runway design giving me some flashbacks to the good old days

[@mx338]

"Incredibly Airport layout" more like uncanny airport layout.

[@razoraz]

I find it funny that most people don't even notice that the current runway layout is a swastika, with 2 of the "legs" doubled. 2:40 in the video.

[@aulandblunt8432]

I remember playing hide and seek there when it first opened. If you time it right on the train you can jump from one end of a car to the other. Don’t advise doing it with other passengers. In a hurry to build it they had serious runway damage causing delayed opening. DIA stood for doesn’t include aircraft for sometime. The expansion so far has been fun to watch. It was nice to have those memories while watching this thanks.

[@dragon32210]

Love the train jingles

[@Justsomegamergamingandstuff]

I have them downloaded as notification sounds

[@markanthony1004]

Whenever I connect through Denver I know I'm gonna get my steps in so all good plus I'm used to it at this point. My poor wife and her best friend got completely lost when I booked them a trip to Denver for my wife's birthday. They made it out, but damn that was frustrating guiding them out of terminal B. And yes the runways look exactly like what you think they do, but I know that wasn't intentional. The FAA has final say with runway placement

[@edarcuri182]

The city and county of Denver is surrounded by cities and counties which have it unable to expand its footprint. Denverites seem to believe that Denver is Colorado, so they don't like being fenced in! A plan was cooked up to get nearby Adams County to surrender a whole lot of land. The Governor told Adams county residents they would get many jobs. Adams county went along with the plan. At the old airport, private parking lots and nearby motels and restaurants flourished. Privately owned, Denver tried a number of ways to dig into their pockets with toll schemes and taxes. They usually failed after a court fight. In building DIA Denver obtained enough land so that every car rental, food outlet, etc. must pay Denver rent. The revenue that goes through that place is enormous. Almost as big as the pain which accompanies flying out of there.

[@haydenfox9519]

When taxes work and thousands of people are happy 👍🏻

[@edarcuri182]

@@haydenfox9519 What does running an airport have to do with governance? Nothing, of course. It's an enterprise, a monopolistic one, run so that Denver has loads of cash . It is also poorly run.

[@rsette]

@edarcuri182 If you don't like flying out of DEN, you can try CHY, I'm sure they'd be glad to have you!

[@edarcuri182]

@@rsette I don't like flying out of DIA. It's a mess, half of the terminal being rebuilt because the concrete is defective after Denver's keen eyed inspectors let it slide. However, it isn't just an airport. It's a political power grab by Denver, it is way in the Hell out of Denver, and it is a monopoly providing big bucks to Denver government the spending of which largesse is controlled by the cabal that runs that city - and they don't run it well. The rest of Colorado can just pay taxes and go to Hell.

[@LeelssDelta]

@@edarcuri182 the main terminal and councourse areas are being rebuilt due to a safety concern. You could stand over the balconys at check in looking down on TSA and level the place with a couple of high capacity mags...SLC is getting the same treatment too.

[@ELIJAHIACOOL]

I grew up an hour noth of Denver, and I never thought about how different they are from different airports.

[@F40M07]

7:37 (haha) beautiful shot of the 737 in the sunrise/sunset. Love it.

[@Broadvay]

me too

[@ahuehuete4703]

Actually, metro Denver has about 3.5 million inhabitants. And there is an alternative airport in Colorado Springs which is close to Denver. It is much smaller than DIA, with 2 million passengers per year.

[@thrackl3]

Denver does a good job of making long term plans and partnering with developers. DIA is large because Denver was thinking ahead. When it was first built Chicago was considered the middle of the country, from a population perspective. Many retailers were not in Denver because Denver was not near a distribution hub, those being more centered around cities like LA and Chicago. Denver set to become the hub between those two, and bought enough land to be able to, over many decades now, pursue becoming a major destination. Context: I've live in Denver for 20 years.

[@johnanthony4194]

I transferred through the OLD Denver airport in the 90s, and thought THAT was huge compared with e.g. London Heathrow (2 Runways) . Whether visiting the city, the mountains, onward flights to New Mexico or LAX , the old airport was good with super friendly and helpful staff. With 6 runways and more to come DIA is really really something. London Heathrow, 30 years later still has only 2 runways.

[@OchaFauzan01]

Funny runways layout, i've seen the shape before xD

[@JeremyKral-networking]

I love DIA for my current job. I often travel and DIA allows me to travel a direct (2.5-4hr) flight to literally anywhere in the country.

[@nathanwright4967]

One of the reasons for the large size is that Denver is one of the only airports in the world that can land three airplanes simultaneously in near zero visibility. You need extra space between runways for that type of operation which is frequent durning Colorado winter storms.

[@paulthewall4764]

This explains the reason for the longest taxi in the UNIVERSE!

[@dolger4308]

Hey don't diss Blucifer, he's always watching

[@codybk91]

I love the subway that takes you from one part of the airport to the next. Also, I have heard that one of the secret bunkers for government officials in times of crisis is under DIA.

[@tdhmoose]

I am a baggage handler for Southwest. On your train ride, our tunnel(s) parallels the train to the concourses. The automated baggage system failed, so, all airlines pull baggage carts.

[@broncoer9089]

growing in the springs, i always flew out of DIA, i love it so much, going there in less then a month too!

[@arosenweig]

Denver’s Airport is huge because of its high elevation and it serves as a hub for United and an operating base for both Frontier and Southwest.

[@aegisofhonor]

similar thing happened in Orlando. The old "Executive" airport in the northeast part of the city was far too small and could not expand so they started "Orlando Jet" airport which was part of McCoy Air Force Base in the early 1960s which eventually became Orlando International (after the Air Force closed the base and allowed the airport to expand further) which is also a massive airport with plenty of space, though it's still not quite the massive size of Denver's airport.

[@ramenaddict1676]

this airport is like disneyland to me but i would so get panic attacks if i were to be there by myself.

[@Melissa-gh6wg]

it’s not that bad

[@briangasser973]

Salt Lake City is also a mile up and is a hub airport. Not sure if DEN needs the footprint it has. The downside is the airport is pretty far outside the city compared to SLC.

[@firehot427]

damn didn't know ALMOST being 1000 ft below 5280 means you're a mile up

[@KanyeTheGayFish69]

Denver is a much larger and more important city than slc. It is the cultural and financial capital of the entire Rocky Mountain region of North America after all.

[@caldwelljackson9482]

The problem with the Salt Lake City airport being close to the city means a problem with noise and pollution near a populated area which is not good from a health perspective. Denver had the forsight to build an airport with the "footprint," as you call it, because it provides plenty of room to expand in the future unlike Salt Lake City which won't be able to do this. I prefer Denver's situation to Salt Lake City's.

[@Mcfunface]

​@@caldwelljackson9482The thing is, when Salt Lake Airport was built, it was WAY out of town, then over the years developers expanded closer to its location. If anything, that's not the airport's fault, there should have been restrictions on how close to the airport neighborhoods could be developed. Besides that, most of the buildings closest to the airport are industrial warehouses for trucking distribution and such.

[@AFmedic]

@@caldwelljackson9482 Also, SLC airport is nestled between the Wasatch Mountains on the East and the Oquirrh Mountains on the West. Was in SLC for 3 years due to a job transfer and lived in West Valley City. Planes landing on 34L flew right over our house.

[@Nonakame]

Anybody that had flown to Stapleton during rough weather most gladly fly to DIA now and endure the long drive to Denver! Probably one of the most gnarly weather airports I’ve flown to beside National/ Reagan in DC.

[@robertrohde4579]

Midway Airport on the southside of Chicago is not cool to fly in or out of because of really short runways. I spent the night there during a blizzard and was thankful that after getting in line to takeoff that we returned to the gate after a jet slid off the runway.

[@Nonakame]

@@robertrohde4579 the only good thing about flying in or out of Midway is that there are bars near almost every gate! You’re going to need a quick belt or two!

[@PInk77W1]

I’ve walked around LAX many times. It takes 3h15min

[@nicholasalbrecht9357]

While Denver has only one airport, it is close to Colorado Springs. A tiny airport by comparison and no customs, but it shares with an Air Force base (recently renamed a Space Force base, but still needs to handle large AF planes at high elevation) so has similarly long runways that can act as an local alternate in inclement weather.

[@garry1214]

Very interesting video, it is an awesome airport, maybe I will fly there one day. Thanks for uploading.

[@Broadvay]

Thanks for watching!

[@tcam52]

As someone who travels to and from Denver a lot I can say its huge and amazing

[@primecash144]

The RTD Airport Transport bus lines and the A train add such a convenient feature. 303 ❤

[@0tuc]

You forgot to add that approximately 22% of the land was controlled by the then Mayor Federico Peña’s former law firm.

[@garywaggoner1953]

The REAL reason DIA is so big is because Roy Romer ( Governor at time of land condemnation ) and Federico Pena ( Mayor of Denver ) had SIGNIFICANT land holdings in the area that would become present day DIA !

[@rsette]

Not true. Actually, an except to the Colorado Constitution had to be approved by voters for the City & County of Denver to acquire the airport property from neighboring municipalities and/or unincorporated towns. That's why when you look at a map, Denver looks like a gerrymandered congressional district.

[@davidconner-shover51]

@@rsette Meh, LA has the shoestring

[@jacksongennet967]

Also that land is CHEAP! So it’s a lot easier to expand.

[@azaquihelify]

DIA is pretty intuitive and well designed right ?....why do i always pass the exit to my terminal though 😢

[@K4yden]

"Dennnver is known for its outdoor spAcesszsz" - Narrator in her Californian accent

[@imanormalpersom]

I went to denver for my flight to cancun and back, live in boise btw, and kept wondering why it needs 4 separate terminals, the size never occurred to me.

[@BobbyStef]

I believe DEN was also built to be a backup location for the now retired NASA space shuttles

[@Nesten321]

The colorado springs airport was the backup in the area with runways almost as long as denver and was/is rated for the shuttle to land there. I am not aware of the 16000 ft runway at DEN being shuttle rated even though it is a little bit longer than the longest runway at COS. COS would probably still be the prefered shuttle alternate because Peterson airforce base (now Peterson Space force Base) shares it's runways with the COS airport so you would have the government/ military facilities to help service the shuttle after landing.

[@RizztasticL]

Texans: Everything's bigger in Texas Coloradans: 🤣 Yeah keep dreaming buddy.

[@zekeonstormpeak4186]

It’s so big so people couldn’t build houses next to it, and then bitch about the noise.

[@jaxinco]

Reunion development is now built built near DIA and we living in Brighton have to hear the planes coming and going all day and night long!

[@SpiraSpiraSpira]

I was a airline pilot based in Denver in 2009, right after the financial crisis so I was the most junior pilot at my airline in Denver for like 2 years, which meant I did 6 hours of “ready reserve” every scheduled day. That meant I had 15 minutes to get to the airplane when called, so I had to come and sit in DIA several days a week in the airline lounge in the bowels of the airport. There was no cell service and I explored the many corridors but I dont think I saw even a tenth of all that was there. I never saw any aliens or secret government labs, though, unfortunately.

[@aeugenegray]

thats just what someone who saw aliens or secret government labs would say!

[@colonel_carlito]

free champagne, a la crate dining, recliner seats. i could think of worse places to wait at work

[@SpiraSpiraSpira]

@@colonel_carlito Not that kind of lounge, unfortunately. An airline employee lounge. We had La-z-boys, TVs and a couple of computers and that was it.

[@SpidaMez]

​@@colonel_carlitopilots also have to be sober

[@rogergeyer9851]

Cool. It's amazing how much of many jobs is "hurry up and wait". But when proximity isn't a requirement (like where cell phones or formerly pagers did the trick, like with computer access), millions of people didn't get PAID or otherwise compensated for being required to respond to emergencies for weeks on end (in the US, anyway). But where the wait time is counted as work time -- that's how it ought to be.

[@EQRuges]

Should pass a law that any new homes being built beside the airport sign an easement stating they acknowledge they are building near an airport and may not file complaints against the noise.

[@TheLordCinderbottom]

No need. They foresaw that issue and created a noise contour around the airport in which no residential development can occur.

[@cazadorcrazy9194]

Fun fact about DIA: It currently employs approximately 30,000 people, which is greater than the population of the town I grew up in.