DENVER — Some will be pleased. Others with be angered. And some may be confused. But no matter how you feel about it, the Denver International Airport was just ranked the best of the biggest U.S. airports.
The Wall Street Journal released the results of its first-ever U.S. Airport Rankings, which used 15 different metrics to identify which of the 20 largest airports in the country treat its travelers the best. The rankings were determined by various factors, such as length of wait at security, Wi-Fi speed, average fares, rental car taxes and fees, number of nonstop destinations and market dominance, among others, according to the WSJ.
And DIA came out on top.
"It's an airport that is very passenger friendly," said Dan McGlothlin, who was flying out of DIA with his wife, Linda, today. "Compared to (Seattle) this is so much easier to get around. It's a piece of cake."
"We're really proud and excited that the Wall Street Journal named us the best (big) airport in the country," said airport spokeswoman Emily Williams. "Really what they wee looking at was the ease of getting around, some of our passenger amenities and the things we do to make traveling through the airport a little easier."
Williams noted that Denver International has three major carriers with sizeable operations at the airport, United, Southwestern and Frontier.
"That helps keep fares low," she said. "We have over 200 non-stop destinations that you can travel to from Denver."
Construction Detours
Passengers traveling for the holidays will see a few impediments in the main terminal.
Phase 1 of the Great Hall Project is underway.
That's the effort to move security from Level 5 to Level 6 and to make Level 5 a place to relax and enjoy some of the amenities.
Construction workers have erected a wall around the main construction zone.
That means you can't walk from the north side of the main terminal to the south side, or vice-versa, on Level 6 without going outside.
The other option is to go down to Level 5 to traverse from north to south, or vice-versa.
Williams said the construction will be worth it.
"It's being designed to more efficiently use the space we have," she said.
In addition to the Great Hall makeover, DIA is planning to build 39 new gates on the concourses.
The work should be complete in 2021.
The other top airports are:
- Orlando
- Phoenix
- Atlanta
- Dallas-Fort Worth
- Las Vegas
- Seattle-Tacoma
- Charlotte
- Los Angeles
- Boston