Denver airport will get the first of 3 new outdoor patios this year
Quick summary
The concourse expansion underway at Denver International Airport includes at least one amenity that travelers and avgeeks alike will love: three new outdoor patios.
The $1.5 billion expansion that will see all three of the airport's concourses extended and 39 new gates added includes new outdoor patios on the western ends of Concourses A and B, and one on the eastern end of Concourse C, Denver Airport (DEN) spokesperson Alex Renteria confirmed to TPG.
The first patio, on Concourse B, is scheduled to open by year-end, with the other two by the end of 2021, she said.
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Denver is not the first airport to add outdoor patios inside security for passengers, but it is one of the few offering them to all travelers -- and not just those on certain airlines. Delta Air Lines offers outdoor patios in several of its lounges, including at Atlanta (ATL) and New York John F. Kennedy (JFK), and United Airlines offers one at Los Angeles (LAX).
Baltimore/Washington (BWI) has an outdoor patio for travelers using Concourses D and E there. However, the patio is often closed.
Denver's new patios will be convenient for passengers on the airport's biggest carriers. United Airlines uses Concourse B and is seeking the gates on the western end of Concourse A where the patio is located, while Alaska Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Southwest Airlines use Concourse C.
Related: United Airlines plans more gates, new clubs at growing Denver hub
Denver Airport was the fifth busiest in the U.S. with 64.5 million passengers in 2018, according to airport and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration data. Year-to-date through October 2019, traffic in Denver was up 7.3% year-over-year to 57.9 million passengers.
A Denver City Council committee will hear a proposal by the airport and United on the carrier taking 13 of the under-construction gates is scheduled for Wednesday.