Denver International Airport
261px
IATA: DEN – ICAO: KDEN – FAA LID: DEN
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		City & County of Denver Department of Aviation
Serves		Denver, Front Range Megalopolis, Northern Colorado, Eastern Colorado
Location		Northeastern Denver, Colorado
Hub for		Frontier Airlines Great Lakes Airlines United Airlines
Elevation AMSL		5,431 ft / 1,655 m
Coordinates		39°51′42″N 104°40′23″W / 39.86167°N 104.67306°W / 39.86167; -104.67306Coordinates: 39°51′42″N 104°40′23″W / 39.86167°N 104.67306°W / 39.86167; -104.67306
Website		http://www.flydenver.com
Map
DEN Location within Colorado
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
7/25	12,000	3,658	Concrete
8/26	12,000	3,658	Concrete
16L/34R	12,000	3,658	Concrete
16R/34L	16,000	4,877	Concrete
17L/35R	12,000	3,658	Concrete
17R/35L	12,000	3,658	Concrete
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft operations			635,445
Passengers			51,985,038
Source: Denver International Airport[1]

Eastward view from an inbound flight, January 27, 2011

Denver International Airport (IATA: DEN, ICAO: KDEN, FAA LID: DEN), often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. At 53 square miles (140 km²) it is the largest airport in the United States by total area, and the second largest airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport.^[2] Runway 16R/34L is the longest public use runway in the United States. In 2011 Denver International Airport was the 11th-busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic with 52,699,298 passengers.

It was the fifth-busiest airport in the world by aircraft movements with over 635,000 movements in 2010.^[3] The airport is in northeastern Denver, Colorado, and is operated by the City and County of Denver. Denver International Airport was the busiest and largest airport in the United States without non-stop service to Asia, until United Airlines announced non-stop service to Tokyo's Narita Airport, commencing on March 31, 2013.^[4] DIA was voted Best Airport in North America by readers of Business Traveler Magazine six years in a row (2005–2010)^[5] and was named "America's Best Run Airport" by Time in 2002.^[6]

Denver International Airport is the main hub for low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines and commuter carrier Great Lakes Airlines. It is also the fourth-largest hub for United Airlines. The airport is a focus city for Southwest Airlines. Since commencing service to Denver in January 2006, Southwest has added over 40 destinations, making Denver its fastest-growing market. Denver International Airport is the only airport in the United States to have implemented an ISO 14001-certified environmental management system covering the entire airport.^[7]

Features[link]

Aesthetics[link]

The Teflon-coated fiberglass roof of Denver International Airport resembles the area's famous Rocky Mountains

The airport's white Teflon-coated fiberglass roof is intended to be reminiscent of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains in winter. The catenary steel cable system, similar to the Brooklyn Bridge design, supports the roof.^[8] DIA is also known for a pedestrian bridge connecting the terminal to Concourse A that allows travelers to view planes taxiing beneath them and has views of the Rocky Mountains to the West and the high plains to the East.

Art[link]

Both during construction and after its opening Denver International Airport has set aside a portion of its construction and operation budgets for art. Gargoyles hiding in suitcases are present above the exit doors from baggage claim. The corridor from the Jeppesen Terminal and Concourse A usually contains additional temporary exhibits. Finally a number of different public art works are present in the underground train that links the main terminal with the concourses.

Mustang, by New Mexico artist Luis Jiménez, was one of the earliest public art commissions for Denver International Airport in 1993. Standing at 32 feet (9.8 m) tall and weighing 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg), "Mustang" is a blue cast-fiberglass sculpture with red shining eyes located between the inbound and outbound lanes of Peña Boulevard.^[9] Jiménez died in 2006 while creating the sculpture when the head of it fell on him and severed an artery in his leg. At the time of his death, Jiménez had completed painting the head of the mustang. The sculpture was completed with the help of the artist's staff, family, and professional race-car painters Camillo Nuñez and Richard LaVato. Upon completion the sculpture was sent to California for assembly and then shipped to Denver. "Mustang" was unveiled at DEN on February 11, 2008.^[10]

"Mustang" has gotten mixed reviews. Many critics of the sculpture are attempting to have it removed, but the city plans to leave the installation in place for 5 years before deciding its future. The controversy over the sculpture has received wide media attention, with coverage from the local news outlets to The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and The Daily Show.^[11][12]

Automated baggage system[link]

The airport's computerized baggage system, which was supposed to reduce delays, shorten waiting times at luggage carousels, and cut airline labor costs, was an unmitigated failure. An airport opening originally scheduled for October 31, 1993, with a single system for all three concourses turned into a February 28, 1995, opening with separate systems for each concourse, with varying degrees of automation.

The system's $186 million original construction costs grew by $1 million per day during months of modifications and repairs. Incoming flights on the airport's B Concourse made very limited use of the system, and only United, DIA's dominant airline, used it for outgoing flights. The 40-year-old company responsible for the design of the automated system, BAE Automated Systems of Carrollton, Texas, at one time responsible for 90% of the baggage systems in the United States, was acquired in 2002 by G&T Conveyor Company, Inc.^[13]

The automated baggage system never worked as designed, and in August 2005 it became public knowledge that United would abandon the system, a decision that would save them $1 million per month in maintenance costs.^[14]

Solar energy system[link]

Partial view of the solar farm under construction, leaving the airport, July 1, 2008.

Between February ^[15] and August 2008,^[16] construction of an on-site, two-megawatt ^[17] solar energy system took place. The single-axis tracking system^[18] provides 3.5 million kilowatt-hours of energy per year ^[17] and uses 9,200 solar panels made by Sharp.^[16] Originally designed to power a jail,^[19] it spares the environment of more than five million pounds of carbon emissions annually.^[17] The system generates the equivalent of half the energy needs of the underground trains that move people between concourses.^[20] The $13 million-plus ^[18] system sits on 7.5 acres (or 30,000 m²),^[18] clearly visible to people entering and exiting the airport. WorldWater & Solar Technologies Corp. designed and built the system, while MMA Renewable Ventures LLC—rather than DIA—owns the solar farm and sells its energy to the airport.^[17] Denver International Airport’s three solar array systems now produce approximately six percent of the airport’s total power requirements.^{[citation needed]} The output makes DEN the largest distributed generation photovoltaic energy producer in the state of Colorado.^{[citation needed]}

Telecommunications[link]

DIA has Wi-Fi access throughout the airport. The free service is ad-supported through an advertising-filled HTML frame that is inserted into the top of the browser window. Users of the Wi-Fi network are also required to view a 30-second advertising video in the browser before Internet access is granted, although in many cases a click-through button is provided to avoid viewing the ad. The network is managed by FreeFi Networks, a Los Angeles-based firm.^[21] T-Mobile HotSpot service is available in the airport lounges run by United Airlines and American Airlines.^[22] The airport has pay-per-use kiosks which can be used to access the Internet and to play video games. The current stations were developed by Zoox Stations and were installed in 2007.^[23]

Geography[link]

Aerial view of the airport in 2002

The airport is 25 miles (40 km) driving distance from downtown Denver,^[24] which is 19 miles (31 km) further away than Stapleton International Airport, the airport it replaced. The distant location was chosen to avoid aircraft noise affecting developed areas, to accommodate a generous runway layout that would not be compromised by winter storms, and to allow for future expansion. The 33,457 acres (52.277 sq mi; 135.40 km²)^[25] of land occupied by the airport is nearly twice the land area of Manhattan. The land was transferred from Adams County to Denver after a 1989 vote,^[26] increasing the city's size by 50 percent. However, much of the city of Aurora is actually closer to the airport than the developed portions of Denver, and all freeway traffic accessing the airport from central Denver passes through Aurora.

Airport officials say its large area contributes to it having the highest number of wildlife strikes in the United States (2,090 this decade – although it ranked seventh on basis of takeoffs and landings).^[27]

History[link]

From 1980 through 1983^[28], the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) investigated six areas for a new metro area airport which were North and East of Denver. In September 1989, under the leadership of Denver Mayor Federico Peña (after whom Peña Boulevard is named), federal officials authorized the outlay of the first $60 million for the construction of DIA. Two years later, Mayor Wellington Webb inherited the megaproject, scheduled to open on October 29, 1993.

Delays caused by poor planning and repeated design changes due to changing requirements from United Airlines caused Mayor Webb to push opening day back, first to December 1993, then to March 1994. By September 1993, delays due to a millwright strike and other events meant opening day was pushed back again, to May 15, 1994.

In April 1994, the city invited reporters to observe the first test of the new automated baggage system. Reporters were treated to scenes of clothing and other personal effects scattered beneath the system's tracks, while the actuators that moved luggage from belt to belt would often toss the luggage right off the system instead. The mayor cancelled the planned May 15 opening. The baggage system continued to be a maintenance hassle and was finally terminated in September 2005,^[29] with traditional baggage handlers manually handling cargo and passenger luggage.

On September 25, 1994, the airport hosted a fly-in that drew several hundred general aviation aircraft, providing pilots with a unique opportunity to operate in and out of the new airport, and to wander around on foot looking at the ground-side facilities—including the baggage system, which was still under testing. FAA controllers also took advantage of the event to test procedures, and to check for holes in radio coverage as planes taxied around and among the buildings.

DIA finally replaced Stapleton on February 28, 1995, 16 months behind schedule and at a cost of $4.8 billion,^[30] nearly $2 billion over budget. The construction employed 11,000 workers.^[31] United flight 1062 to Kansas City International Airport was the first to depart and United flight 1474 from Colorado Springs Airport was the first to arrive.^{[citation needed]}

After the airport's runways were completed but before it opened, the airport used the codes (IATA: DVX, ICAO: KDVX). DIA later took over (IATA: DEN, ICAO: KDEN) as its codes from Stapleton when the latter airport closed.

During the blizzard of March 17–19, 2003, heavy snow tore a hole in the terminal's white fabric roof. Over two feet of snow on the paved areas closed the airport (and its main access road, Peña Boulevard) for almost two days. Several thousand people were stranded at DIA.

In 2004, DIA was ranked first in major airports for on-time arrivals according to the FAA.

Denver International Airport covered by the December 22, 2006, snowstorm

Another blizzard on December 20 and 21st, 2006 dumped over 20 inches (51 cm) of snow in about 24 hours. The airport was closed for more than 45 hours, stranding thousands.

Design and expandability[link]

Denver International Airport's signature roofline as seen from the interior.

Denver has traditionally been home to one of the busier airports in the nation because of its location. Many airlines including United Airlines, Continental Airlines, Western Airlines, TWA, the old Frontier Airlines and People Express were hubbed in Denver and there was also a significant Southwest Airlines operation at the old Stapleton International Airport. At times, Denver was a hub for three or four airlines. Gate space was severely limited at Stapleton, and the runways at the old Stapleton were unable to deal efficiently with Denver's weather and wind patterns, causing nationwide travel disruption. These problems were the main justification for the new airport. The project began with Perez Architects and was completed by Fentress Bradburn Architects^[32] of Denver. The signature DIA profile, suggestive of the snow capped Rocky Mountains, was first hand sketched by Design Director Curtis W. Fentress. Seized upon by then Mayor, Federico Peña, as the iconic form he was looking for – "similar to the Sydney Opera House" – DIA's design as well as its user-optimized curbside-to-airside navigation has won DIA global acclaim and propelled its designer, Fentress, to one of the foremost airport designers in the world. Fentress Architects is currently at work on the modernization of LAX.

With the construction of DIA, Denver was determined to build an airport that could be easily expanded over the next 50 years to eliminate many of the problems that had plagued Stapleton International Airport. This was achieved by designing an easily expandable midfield terminal and concourses, creating one of the most efficient airfields in the world.

At 33,457 acres (13,540 ha),^[25] DIA is by far the largest land area commercial airport in the United States. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is a distant second at 18,100 acres (7,325 ha). The 327-foot (100 m) control tower is one of the tallest in North America.^[33] The airfield is arranged in a pinwheel formation around the midfield terminal and concourses. This layout allows independent flow of aircraft to and from each runway without any queuing or overlap with other runways. Additional runways can be added as needed, up to a maximum of 12 runways. Denver currently has four north/south runways (35/17 Left and Right; 34/16 Left and Right) and two east/west runways (7/25 and 8/26).

KDEN FAA airport diagram

DIA's sixth runway (16R/34L) is the longest commercial precision-instrument runway in North America with a length of 16,000 feet (4,877 m). Compared to other DIA runways, the extra 4,000-foot (1,200 m) length allows fully loaded jumbo jets such as the Boeing 747 or Airbus 380 to take off in Denver's mile-high altitude during summer months, thereby providing unrestricted global access for any airline using DIA.

The midfield concourses allow passengers to be screened in a central location efficiently and then transported via a rail system to three different passenger concourses. Unlike Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport upon which the midfield design was based, Concourses B and C are not connected by any kind of walkway; they are only accessible via train.

The taxiways at Denver have been positioned so that each of the midfield concourses can expand significantly before reaching the taxiways. B Concourse, which is primarily used by United Airlines, is longer than the other two concourses, but all three concourses can be expanded as needed. Once this expansion is exhausted, space has been reserved for Concourses D and E.

All international flights requiring customs and immigration services currently fly into Concourse A. Currently eight gates are used for international flights. These north facing gates on Concourse A are equipped to divert incoming passengers to a hallway which connects to the upper level of the air bridge, and enters Customs and Immigration in the north side of the Jeppesen Terminal. These gates could also be easily modified to allow boarding on both the upper deck and the lower deck of larger planes such as the Airbus A380.

As part of the original design of the airport the city specified passenger volume "triggers" that would lead to a redevelopment of the master plan and possible new construction to make sure the airport is able to meet Denver's needs.^{[citation needed]} The city hit its first-phase capacity threshold in 2008, and DIA is currently revising the master plan. As part of the master plan update, the airport announced selection of Parson's transportation group to design a new hotel, rail station and two bridges leading into the main terminal.^[34] Santiago Calatrava has been selected as the architect for the project. In addition, before hitting the 60 million passenger volume trigger, the airport is planning on constructing an additional runway, 20+ new gates on the existing concourses, two additional International Gates as well as improvements to the baggage system and passenger train.

Once fully built out, DIA should be able to handle 110 million passengers per year, up from 32 million at its opening.

Terminal and concourses[link]

A terminal map of the Denver Airport

Jeppesen Terminal[link]

The pedestrian bridge connecting the Jeppesen Terminal with Concourse A

Jeppesen Terminal, named after aviation safety pioneer Elrey Jeppesen, is the land side of the airport. Road traffic accesses the airport directly off of Peña Boulevard, which in turn is fed by Interstate 70 and E-470. Two covered and uncovered parking areas are directly attached to the terminal – three garages and an economy parking lot on the east side; and four garages and an economy lot on the west side.

The terminal is separated into west and east terminals for passenger drop off and pickup. Linked below is a map of the airlines associated with the terminals.

The central area of the airport houses two security screening areas and exits from the underground train system. The north side of the Jeppesen Terminal contains a third security screening area and a segregated immigration and customs area. A large fountain is currently being removed due to the expansion project currently underway.

Passengers are routed first to airline ticket counters or kiosks for checking in. Since all gates at Denver are in the outlying concourses, passengers must pass through any one of the three separate security screening areas for admittance into the secure air side of the airport (one at each end of the main terminal, with escalators down to the trains, plus one at the end of the walkway to Concourse A).

After leaving the main terminal via the train or pedestrian bridge, passengers can access 95 full-service gates on 3 separate concourses (A, B, & C), plus gates for regional flights.

Stone used in the terminal walls was supplied by the Yule Marble Quarry, also used for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Lincoln Memorial.^[8]

South Terminal Redevelopment Program[link]

A new $500 million adjunct terminal next to the Jeppesen terminal will house a railway station, to be run by Regional Transportation District's (RTD) FasTracks system, a 500-room hotel, to be run by Westin Hotels & Resorts, and a conference center, and create over 6,600 jobs that will be completed on 2016. The rail link will provide a direct linkage between downtown Denver and the airport at a cost of over $1 billion. The design concept of the South Terminal was envisioned by architect Santiago Calatrava. Calatrava claims that the South Terminal Redevelopment Program was inspired by an eagle flying, and will keep the Jeppesen terminal a visible icon. The Calatrava design was significantly reduced which, along with disputes with contractor Parsons Transportation Group, led to the withdrawal of the Calatrava firm. Construction is set to begin on May 19th, 2012.

Concourses[link]

A typical gate in Concourse A

Denver International Airport has three midfield concourses, spaced far apart. Concourse A is accessible via a pedestrian bridge directly from the terminal building, as well as via the underground train system that services all three concourses. For access to Concourses B and C, passengers must utilize the Denver International Airport Automated Guideway Transit System. On one occasion in the late 1990s, the train system encountered technical problems and shut down for several hours, creating a tremendous back-log of passengers in Jeppesen Terminal since no pedestrian walkways exist between the terminal and the B and C Concourses. Since that day the airport's train system has continued to operate without any further major service interruption.

The concourses and main terminal have a similar layout to Atlanta's airport, except that Denver has no T gates directly attached to the terminal and the space between concourses at DIA is much wider than the space between the concourses in Atlanta. This allows for maximum operating efficiency as aircraft can be pushed away from their gate awaiting departure and other arriving and departing aircraft can still taxi through the alley behind them without delay.

The airport collects landing fees, rent and other revenues from the airlines to help offset its operating costs. Denver International Airport is owned and operated by the City and County of Denver, but does not operate using tax dollars. Instead, the airport is an "enterprise fund" generating its own revenues in order to cover operating expenses. The airport operates off of revenue generated by the airlines – landing fees, rents and other payments – and revenues generated by non-airline resources – parking, concessions revenues, rent and other payments.

On December 14, 2006, The Denver Post reported that DIA is in the design phase of expanding Concourse C in the airport's "first major concourse expansion." At least eight new gates are planned for construction at the east end of Concourse C and the project has an estimated pricetag of approximately $160 million. If the project is given the green light to move past the design phase, construction on Concourse C is estimated to take 3 years and will allow primarily Southwest Airlines, but also other carriers, to increase flight schedules at one of the nation's fastest-growing airports.

Concourse B also recently expanded with the addition of a regional jet terminal at the east side of Concourse B. This Regional Jet concourse consists of one smaller concourse or finger which is connected to Concourse B a bridges.^[35] These gates allow direct jet bridge access to smaller Regional Jets. With the opening of the Regional Jet Concourse, United Airlines has left Concourse A entirely and now operates solely from Concourse B, with the exception of international flights requiring customs support.

The Airport has also announced plans to revise the Airport Master Plan to account for changing circumstances since the airport opened. According to the December 14, 2006, Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News articles, plans being drafted could possibly include an extension of the Main terminal to the South. This change would increase the number of ticketing counters and would also include a rail station for the terminus of the FasTracks commuter rail line from Denver's Union Station.

Concourse A[link]

The entrance to Concourse B

Note: Concourse A handles all international arrivals at Denver (excluding airports with border preclearance) as well as certain departing flights:

Concourse A has 37 Gates: A24–A68 with four international boarding gates, gate A37 is used by British Airways and gates A41 & A43 are used by Aeromexico, Air Canada and Lufthansa. Denver is one of the busiest airports worldwide with only limited international operations.

Frontier Airlines and Great Lakes Airlines are the main carriers in Concourse A.

Concourse B[link]

Overhead view of the Concourse C train station

Concourse B has 77 Gates: B15–B29, B31–B33, B35–B39, B42–B95

In November 2009, United and DIA reached an agreement in which United released five of its gates in the western end of the concourse. DIA in return leased these gates to United's Star Alliance partner US Airways. United Airlines has two United Clubs on Concourse B, both one level above the main area of the concourse. One is adjacent to gate B32, and the other is adjacent to gate B44. This concourse is exclusive to Star Alliance partners.

Concourse C[link]

Concourse C has 22 Gates: C28–C49
Southwest Airlines is the main carrier in Concourse C, though Delta uses the concourse as well.

Concourses D and E[link]

The airport has reserved room for two more Concourses to be built beyond Concourse C for future expandability. Concourse D can be built without having to move any existing structure. The underground train system, however, will have to be extended. Concourse E will require moving a United Airlines hangar. However, before construction on Concourses D and E begins, Concourses A, B, and C can be extended in both directions.

Airlines and destinations[link]

Denver International Airport is the largest hub of Frontier Airlines and the fourth-largest hub for United Airlines. Southwest Airlines continues to grow rapidly at the airport and the airport is the airlines fifth largest city. The airport is also the main hub of Great Lakes Airlines.

The three largest airlines serving DIA are United Airlines (including United Express), Southwest Airlines, and Frontier Airlines, controlling about 37%, 24%, and 23% (numbers were rounded) of all passenger traffic at DEN in October 2011, respectively.^[36]

Passengers boarding the underground Automated Guideway Transit System, which transports passengers between the concourses and the Jeppesen Terminal

A Frontier Airlines Airbus A319-100 being serviced

An Alexander Eaglerock biplane at Concourse B's west end

Cargo airlines[link]

Top destinations[link]

Access[link]

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) operates five bus routes under the frequent airport express bus service called skyRide, as well as one Express bus route and one Limited bus route, between DIA and various locations throughout the Denver-Aurora and Boulder metropolitan areas.

The skyRide services operate on comfortable coaches with ample space for luggage, while the Express and Limited bus routes operate on regular city transit buses and are mainly geared for use for airport employees.

skyRide services drop-off and pick-up from both the West and East side of the Jeppesen Terminal while the Express and Limited services drop-off only on the West side of the Terminal and pick-up only from the East side of the Terminal.

By 2015, RTD plans to build a commuter rail line from downtown Denver's Union Station through Aurora to DIA, as part of the FasTracks expansion program. Scheduled bus service is also available to points such as Fort Collins, Colorado and van services stretch into Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado summer and ski resort areas. Amtrak offers a Fly-Rail plan for ticketing with United Airlines for trips into scenic areas in the Western U.S. via a Denver stopover.

Accidents and incidents[link]

See Stapleton International Airport for accidents and incidents prior to March 1995

• On September 5, 2001, a British Airways Boeing 777 caught on fire while it was being refueled at the gate. None of the deplaning passengers or crew were injured, but the refueler servicing the aircraft died from his injuries six days after the fire. The NTSB found that the accident occurred due to a failure of the aircraft's refueling ring when the fuel hose was torn out of it at an improper angle.^[46]

• On February 16, 2007, 14 aircraft suffered windshield failures within a three-and-a-half-hour period at the airport. A total of 26 windshields on these aircraft failed. The NTSB opened an investigation, determining that foreign object damage was the cause, possibly the sharp sand used earlier that winter for traction purposes combined with wind gusts of 48 mph (77 km/h).^[47]

• On December 20, 2008, a Continental Airlines Boeing 737-500 operating as Flight 1404 to Houston-Intercontinental Airport in Houston, TX, veered off the left side of runway 34R, and caught fire, during its takeoff roll at Denver International Airport. There was no snow or ice on the runway, however there were 31 knot (36 mph) crosswinds at the time of the accident. On July 13, 2010 the NTSB published that the probable cause of this accident was the captain's cessation of right rudder input, which was needed to maintain directional control of the airplane. Of the 115 people on board, at least 38 sustained injuries: at least two of these injured critically.^[48][49][50]

• On April 3, 2012, an ExpressJet Embraer ERJ-145, registration N15973, operating as Flight UA/EV-5912 from Peoria,IL to Denver,CO, was landing on 34R when the aircraft hit the approach lights and stopped on the runway. Smoke developed inside the aircraft and passengers were evacuated onto the runway. One passenger was taken to hospital for treatment of their injuries.^[51]

Controversy[link]

There are several conspiracy theories relating to the airport's design and construction such as the runways being laid out in a shape similar to a swastika. Murals painted in the baggage claim area have been claimed to contain themes referring to future military oppression and a one-world government. However, the artist, Leo Tanguma, said the murals, entitled "In Peace and Harmony With Nature" and "The Children of the World Dream of Peace," depict man-made environmental destruction and genocide along with humanity coming together to heal nature and live in peace.^[52]

Conspiracists have also seen unusual markings in the terminals in DIA and have recorded them as masonic markings.^{[citation needed]} They have pointed to unusual words cut into the floor as being Satanic, Masonic, or some impenetrable secret code of the New World Order: Cochetopa, Sisnaajini and Dzit Dit Gaii.^[53] These words are actually Navajo terms for geographical sites in Colorado. "Braaksma" and "Villarreal" are actually the names of Carolyn Braaksma and Mark Villarreal, artists who worked on the airport’s sculptures and paintings.^[54]

There is a dedication marker in the airport inscribed with words, "New World Airport Commission". It also is inscribed with the Square and Compasses of the Freemasons, along with a listing of the two Grand Lodges of Freemasonry in Colorado. It is mounted over a time capsule that was sealed during the dedication of the airport, to be opened in 2094. The Freemasons participated in laying this “capstone� (the last, finishing stone) of the airport project. The capstone is inscribed with a line that states "New World Airport Commission".^[53]

Robert Blaskiewicz writing for Skeptical Inquirer Magazine states that conspiracies about the airport range from the "absurd to the even more absurd". When asking airport media representatives, 'what conspiracies are associated with the airport', they responded, "You name a conspiracy theory and somehow we seem to be connected to it." Blaskiewicz found that contrary to claims from conspiracy theorists that DIA will not discuss these stories with the public, they also give tours of the airport.^[55]

See also[link]

	Colorado portal
	Aviation portal

• Busiest airports in the United States by international passenger traffic
• Busiest airports in the United States by total passenger boardings
• List of airports in the Denver area
• List of the busiest airports in the United States
• World's busiest airports by passenger traffic
• World's busiest airports by traffic movements
• World's busiest airports by cargo traffic
• World's busiest airports by international passenger traffic

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Denver International Airport

• Denver International Airport, official site
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 31 May 2012
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KDEN
  • ASN accident history for DEN
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KDEN
  • FAA current DEN delay information

Louis Joseph Lambert, Jr. (born December 21, 1940), is a Louisiana attorney, businessman, former member and chairman of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, and a former Louisiana state senator.

Lambert, while serving on the PSC, lost the 1979 gubernatorial race to Republican U.S. Representative David C. Treen, then of Jefferson Parish in the Third Congressional District. A switch of 4,979 votes out of nearly 1.4 million cast, however, would have made Lambert governor by a one-vote margin. Lambert was the first Louisiana Democrat to lose to a Republican candidate in a statewide general election, popularly called the runoff.

Lambert represented District 18 in the Louisiana State Senate from 1994 until 2004. His district encompassed parts of East Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston, St. James, and St. John the Baptist parishes. He lives in Prairieville (Ascension Parish) with his wife, Mary Gayle S. Lambert.

Lambert was to have been a major candidate in the November 4, 2008, general election for District Attorney in the 23rd Judicial District, which encompasses Ascension, Assumption, and St. James parishes. He faced a fellow Democrat, assistant district attorney Ricky Babin (born ca. 1962). In the October 4 jungle primary, Babin received 11,540 votes (34.8 percent) to Lambert's 9,370 votes (28.3 percent). ^[1] Citing political divisiveness in the lengthy campaign, Lambert withdrew from the race, and Babin won by default.^[2]

Education and community involvement[link]

Lambert graduated from the Capital Page School in Washington, D.C., and attended the St. Amant School in St. Amant in Ascension Parish. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and his law degree from Loyola University in New Orleans.

Lambert is a retired captain in the Louisiana National Guard. He is a member of the Ascension Chamber of Commerce, the East Ascension Sportsman League, creator and volunteer Chairman of the Board of the River Region Cancer Clinic, and is the creator and volunteer Chairman of the Board of The River Parishes Community College in Sorrento. Louis is a Christian.

Constitutional convention delegate, 1973[link]

Lambert was elected on a nonpartisan ballot in the summer of 1972 as a delegate to the state constitutional convention, which met in Baton Rouge during 1973. The convention produced a new governing document for the state, which voters handily approved in 1974. Lambert in fact was chairman of the convention.

Public Service Commissioner Lambert[link]

Lambert began his political career as the Gonzales town attorney. Then in the 1971-1972 election cycle, he won a state Senate seat which then included Ascension, Livingston, and St. James parishes. At the age of thirty-one, he succeeded state Senator George T. Oubre, who ran unsuccessfully for attorney general in the Democratic primary. The position instead went to William J. Guste, Jr., of New Orleans.

However, Lambert resigned halfway through that Senate term (when he had also been a constitutional convention delegate) after his election to the PSC. The regulatory body expanded from three to five members under the Louisiana Constitution of 1974 which Lambert helped to write. Lambert won the PSC District 3 seat based about Baton Rouge.

Lambert was chairman of the PSC for several terms. For a time, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Lafayette, who was elected as the state's first woman governor in 2003, was the PSC vice-chairman during one term when Lambert was chairman. She served on the PSC from 1988 to 1996.

In his last election to the PSC in 1986, Lambert defeated the Republican Archie Mollere by the lopsided margin of 171,872 (86 percent) to 28,420 (14 percent). Lambert was succeeded on the PSC by its first African-American member, Irma Muse Dixon.

Winning a general election slot, 1979[link]

Lambert eyed the 1979 gubernatorial race with confidence and perhaps with history on his side. Three previous governors had served on the PSC prior to their gubernatorial victories: Huey Pierce Long, Jr., Jimmie Houston "Jimmie" Davis, and John Julian McKeithen. Lambert sought to succeed two-term-limited Governor Edwin Washington Edwards. Republican David Treen led the balloting against the divided field of Democrats but was far short of an outright majority.

Lambert faced a legal challenge to secure his general election berth. Then Lieutenant Governor James Edward Fitzmorris, Jr., of New Orleans had initially led for the second spot, but when a retabulation put Lambert ahead of Fitzmorris by some 2,500 votes, Fitzmorris went to court. He alleged that Lambert had benefited from fraudulent votes in certain parishes as well as improper counting procedures. State District Judge Douglas Gonzalez of Baton Rouge, a Republican, said in the hearing brought about by Fitzmorris' suit that he sympathized with the lieutenant governor's position. However, Gonzalez found that Fitzmorris had not located sufficient numbers of questionable votes for Lambert to put Fitzmorris, rather than Lambert, into the general election.

The disappointed Fitzmorris and three other major Democratic gubernatorial candidates all endorsed Treen: Secretary of State Paul J. Hardy, originally from St. Martinville, state Senator Edgar G. "Sonny" Mouton, Jr., of Lafayette, and outgoing House Speaker Edgerton L. "Bubba" Henry of Jonesboro in Jackson Parish in north Louisiana. Lambert seemed to stand alone while his four major intraparty rivals backing the Republican choice for governor.

Lambert's gubernatorial campaign[link]

"I have always run against the politicians, the power brokers, and the political bosses," Lambert said. He predicted that his state's overwhelming Democratic registration would provide him with a margin of victory despite the defection of prominent individuals to the Treen camp.

Lambert won the support of Governor Edwards and former Governor John Julian McKeithen, who had supported Hardy in the primary. Some, however, speculated that Edwards did not mind that Treen won the election because Edwards wanted to challenge a "Governor Treen" in the 1983 jungle primary for his own potential third term.

One of the surprises of the campaign was that Lambert ran well in north Louisiana, winning more than a dozen parishes which had supported Treen in his earlier 1972 campaign against Edwards, such as Morehouse and Webster parishes. Treen dominated the suburban parishes around Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Lambert's weakness, however, was to the west of his home base: Acadiana, where Treen ran strongly in Lafayette and the sugar parishes. Factions which had supported Hardy and Mouton in the primary agreed to work for Treen. In an appearance in Lafayette, Treen told the Acadiana audience that his campaign reached across party, racial, and geographic lines. Mouton, who had been an Edwards loyalist, said at the rally: "Did you ever think you would see this sight -- a bunch of Acadiana Democrats cheering a Republican?"

Treen finished with 690,691 (50.3 percent) to Lambert's 681,134 (49.7 percent). Treen won only 22 of the 64 parishes in victory, whereas he had carried 27 parishes in defeat in 1972. Only ten parishes supported Treen in both 1972 and 1979, including Caddo, Ouachita, Lincoln, Bossier, and East Baton Rogue parishes. Treen's victory is attributed to his Acadiana margins -- Lafayette, Iberia, Terrebonne, Acadia and St. Martin parishes, where he overcame huge deficits from 1972 to win in 1979.

Lambert blamed his defeat principally on Fitzmorris' lawsuit: "If it hadn't been for that lawsuit, I would have beat him 55 percent to 45 percent." Lambert never again sought statewide office. He remained a public service commissioner until 1992.

Returning to the state Senate, 1994[link]

In 1994, Lambert returned to the state Senate, when the longtime incumbent Joseph E. Sevario, III, resigned. Lambert won the special election over his fellow Democrat "Jeff" Diez, 9,068 (57 percent) to 6,965 (43 percent). He was reelected in 1995 over the Republican Kirk T. Harrison, 37,876 (80 percent) to 9,655 (20 percent). Unopposed in 1999, Lambert did not seek another term in 2003.

Lambert was chairman of the Senate Environmental Committee. He worked closely with Republican Senator Robert J. Barham of Oak Ridge in Morehouse Parish on various environmental questions, including the preservation of the state's shrinking wetlands. Lambert, loyal Democrat, even donated to Barham's unsuccessful congressional campaign in 2002.

In 2002, Lambert was appointed as one of the sixteen members of the prestigious Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors by Republican Governor Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr. Lambert and Foster had been state senators together during 1995. The six-year term on the LSU board ends on June 1, 2008.

References[link]

• Shreveport Journal, November 27, December 4, 5, 10, 1979
• Shreveport Times, December 10, 1979
• http://www.lsusystem.lsu.edu/boardofsupermembers.html#lambert
• Members of Louisiana State Senate, 1880-2004 (Baton Rouge: Secretary of State)
• http://www.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms2&rqsdta=092786
• http://www.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms3&rqsdta=102195
• http://www.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms3&rqsdta=111503
• http://www.enlou.com/officeholders/senatedistrict18.htm
• http://capitolwatch.reallouisiana.com/html/EAD58C18-6C6A-4A5A-8755-3375A8193DE6.shtml