Making the first move is often the most difficult part of dating. The Routes conference provides the forum for airlines and airports to overcome awkward introductions and to start the courtship for new flights.

Routes, marketed as "the global meeting place for every airline and airport in the world," is an annual international conference where airport marketing executives meet with airline route planners to discuss new business opportunities, such as nonstop service between two cities that are not currently connected by a flight. The meetings also offer the opportunity to review the performances of established routes and to stimulate ideas to increase revenue and reduce costs. The process is often likened to speed-dating for airlines and airports.

Denver International Airport’s chalet at 2009 Routes conference in Beijing.

The matchmaking begins several months in advance of the conference. Airports indicate which airlines they would like to meet. Airlines then review these requests and choose to meet with their preferred airports, so not all requests are honored. Airlines are also able to ask for meetings with airports, although this occurs rarely. Meetings are scheduled in 20-minute blocks, with airlines at designated tables. Airports travel from table to table based on the meeting schedule.

DIA expanded its presence at the 2009 Routes conference – held in Beijing, China – by hosting a meeting chalet.  The chalet, equipped with audio-visual capability, provided a private meeting space and a location for presentations. The space was ideal for longer discussions – 45 minutes instead of 20 minutes – in a more relaxed atmosphere. The chalet also allowed DIA to showcase its brand to all conference attendees – even those that did not enter the chalet. More than 300 airlines and 600 airports from around the world attended the 2009 conference, and DIA held private meetings with 20 airlines.

DIA’s conference chalet offered a meeting room equipped for presentations.

After a first date, the question of who will be the first to call the other might go unanswered.  In this case, DIA will proactively follow up on all meetings and continue to engage airlines in discussions about the strengths of the Denver market and why an airline would benefit by providing service to Denver.  Routes has proven to be a valuable marketing tool. It provides introductory information about the Denver market to airlines as well as making possible personal, face-to-face connections with airline route planners.

Skip the Traffic, Grab a Flight
Wednesday, Oct. 7, officially kicked off the 2009-2010 winter ski season in Colorado as Loveland Ski Area became the first ski area in North America to open. Soon, the 25 remaining Colorado ski resorts will join Loveland and open their lifts and slopes, beckoning locals and tourists alike to enjoy winter sports and beautiful mountain scenery.

To accommodate travelers who like to avoid the hassle of automobile traffic and poor road conditions, Denver International Airport flights serve 12 Colorado destinations through the winter. All 12 destinations are served at least twice daily, including ski meccas Aspen, Vail, Steamboat Springs, and Telluride.  DIA flights to some destinations, such as Durango with eight departures daily and Colorado Springs with 15 daily departures, will fit into anyone’s work schedule or travel itinerary.

DIA’s regional air carriers also fly to the Western Slope cities Alamosa, Cortez, Grand Junction, Gunnison, and Montrose.

Twenty-five Denver Parks and Recreation Employees Will Work Seasonally at DIA

Denver’s Department of Aviation has partnered with another city agency to save the jobs of 25 city employees.

Under a “shared services” partnership, 25 Denver Parks and Recreation employees will work full-time at Denver International Airport for the next
six months. Much of the work will involve snow removal, but the employees also will work alongside DIA Maintenance workers, performing light trade work.

The 25 workers began training at DIA in September for the snow season.

“This is a great opportunity for both agencies,” Aviation Manager Kim Day said.  “It fills an important need for the airport, while allowing us to preserve city jobs.”

The partnership saves city positions that might have been subject to layoffs in what is normally a slow time for Parks and Recreation workers.

Kevin Patterson, manager of Denver Parks and Recreation, said, “This model allows both agencies to work more efficiently and, most importantly, allows us to retain 25 veteran employees.”

The seasonal reassignment of the workers will save Parks and Recreation approximately $700,000. The money invested by the airport would have been allocated to a private contractor, Snow-Go, which performed snow removal for DIA last year. The Snow-Go contract will not be renewed.

DIA Composts!
Clean and Green at Denver International Airport

Backyard composting is a popular way to manage organic wastes at home, but the environmental minds of Denver International Airport have explored how to compost at an airport.

In January 2009, DIA’s Environmental Services Section launched a three-month pilot organic collection and composting program from concessions and office areas in Jeppesen Terminal and the Airport Office Building.  A  Recycling Resources and Economic Opportunity Grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment allowed DIA to evaluate the viability of commercial organic collection and composting pilot test.

Working with 16 vendors in Jeppesen Terminal and using 11 break rooms throughout the office building, DIA collected as much as 39 tons, or approximately 151 cubic yards, of organic waste. DIA’s Environmental Public Health Manager Mark Kunugi said, “We were pleased with the 31 to 39 tons collected during the pilot.” Because this was DIA’s first attempt at collecting organic waste on a large scale, Environmental Services had no idea how much or how little it was going to collect. 

Kunugi noted that as of right now, “the economics indicate that the cost of composting is 3 to 3-1/2 times that of throwing it [organic material] away as normal trash, but there are a number of other considerations besides cost that will determine whether or not we continue a full-time composting program.”

These considerations include program logistics, materiel, such as biodegradable collection bags, additional training for the users (concessionaires), container locations, and controlled access to collection receptacles to avoid contamination from non-compostable trash.

DIA learned that the participants were receptive to composting, that this program is feasible (depending on cost), and solid waste diversion to a landfill could be reduced. A full-time composting program could potentially create more jobs and help reduce greenhouse gas impacts, while supporting DIA’s environmental goals.

“Whether we continue this program or not, the data we obtained was extremely valuable,” said Janell Barrilleaux, director of environmental programs. In addition to what Environmental Services learned about the pilot program, it collected data to evaluate other potential organic collection and treatment technologies.

DIA Celebrates Colorado Artists
When envisioning Colorado, many people see snow-capped mountains; some imagine vast crop fields glistening in the sun. Others picture a vast city reflected in glass skyscrapers downtown.

Colorado’s sundry environment has inspired Denver International Airport and Colorado Council on the Arts to collaborate and present the diverse perspectives of Colorado artists in an exhibit called Creative Capitol.

The exhibit is a four-part rotating series featuring artists from the state’s northwest, south-west, eastern, and Metro Denver areas. Many of the artists depict their own locales, expressing Colorado in different media, using their own various styles. Their works range from landscape photography and graphic works to oil paintings, pastels, and watercolors.

Creative Capitol’s second installment, showcasing 37 artists from southwestern Colorado, is on display at DIA until Nov. 30, 2009. You can see the exhibit’s southwest Colorado art once you have crossed the bridge from Jeppesen Terminal to Concourse A—at the “Y” junction leading toward the concourse’s east or west sides. The artists’ works are mounted on the walls parallel to the automated walkways.

In December, the exhibit will move to the State Capitol offices of Lt. Governor Barbara O’Brien and to the Capitol’s rotunda on the basement level, where it will be on display until Feb. 28, 2010.

Harrison Ford’s Single-Engine Plane Visits DIA


DIA’s fixed-base operator, Signature, welcomed actor Harrison Ford’s de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver on Sept. 27. The single-engine, high-wing aircraft was being used in a documentary produced for Denver’s Wings Over the Rockies Museum. Ford was not piloting the plane during its Denver visit, but he will be narrating the documentary. The de Havilland aircraft, built in 1955, has a wingspan of 48 feet, a cruising speed of 143 miles per hour, and a range of 455 miles. The Beaver is known as an STOL plane (short take-off and landing), meaning it can take off or land on short runways.

DIA’s Customer and Special Services Team Pitches Playoff Spirit

DIA’s Customer and Special Services personnel don Colorado Rockies T-shirts during the recent National League first-round playoff series between the Rockies and the Philadelphia Phillies.