United Airlines continues expansion in Denver, opening new gates and adding destinations
United Airlines has opened 12 new gates and added 35 new flights from Denver International Airport, as the company continues to expand their second largest hub. United, Denver's largest commercial airline provider, hosted an event on Tuesday with CEO Scott Kirby and airport CEO Phil Washington to celebrate more additions to the hub.
United Airlines is also Denver's largest private employer, and Kirby said the company is working on adding to that workforce in the coming years.
"Denver is our second largest hub," said Patrick Quayle, senior vice president at United. "It is the most important hub covering the mountain west states."
Quayle said United is investing hundreds of millions of dollars into Denver, as the airport plays a key role in their global operation every day.
"The operation is vital and critical," Quayle said.
Nearly 1,000 United flights land and take off from Denver every single day, most of which serve as connecting flights for passengers.
Because Denver is located relatively central when it comes to the western United States, hundreds of thousands of passengers every week pass through the airport on their way to their final destination, underscoring why Denver is a key role player in the entire country's movement.
"When the operation moves smoothly it makes an impact across the whole country," Quayle said.
United recently purchased nearly 200 brand new Boeing 737-MAX 9 aircraft, each costing around $100 million. United showed off one of the recently delivered aircraft during their event. The aircraft still had a new aircraft smell to it.
United said they are bringing back entertainment screens to every chair after realizing the removal of the screens did not market well for their clients. United said, when their order is fulfilled, the airline will have more than 300,000 screens in the skies. And, with their new aircraft, each individual passenger can pair their Bluetooth headphones with their seatback entertainment.
United opened 12 new gates in Denver along the A Concourse, and the company announced the construction of three new membership clubs. However, Quayle said the investment away from the concourses is equally important.
"It is about more gates, more clubs, more cement of the aircraft to taxi and park on which all drives better reliability and better operation," Quayle said. "So much traffic comes through this hub, so many passengers connect through this hub and the amount of cargo being shipped through here, it is not a Denver story. It is a western United States story happening right here at Denver airport."