Denver INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KDEN)
AIRPORT TRAVEL GUIDE
Overview
Denver International Airport (KDEN) is located about 25 miles northeast of the city center of Denver, Colorado and serves the Front Range region of the Rockies, as well as parts of western Kansas and Nebraska. Serving just over 69,000,000 passengers in 2019, Denver International Airport is ranked as the 5th busiest airport in the United States and its mid-continent location allows it to have the unique role of serving as a major connecting hub for three carriers, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Frontier Airlines.
In addition to serving residents of the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area, DEN is also a popular airport to access destinations in the Rocky Mountains including Rocky Mountain National Park, and the many ski resorts just west of Denver, such as Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Eldora, Loveland, Winter Park, and Arapahoe Basin.
The airport is one of the youngest airports in the United States, having opened in 1995, replacing the older Stapleton International Airport.
Airlines
In total, nearly two dozen airlines serve Denver International Airport, including nearly every major carrier of the United States. Denver is also served by international carriers Aeromexico, Air Canada, British Airways, Cayman Airways, Copa Airlines, Edelweiss Air, Icelandair Lufthansa, Volaris, and WestJet.
All three of the world’s major alliances, SkyTeam, Star Alliance, and oneworld, serve Denver.
Its largest carriers are United and Southwest, each holding about a 30% market share. Frontier Airlines is the third-largest carrier at DEN, with about a 13% market share.
Destinations
Denver International Airport (DEN)’s status as a major mid-continent hub for United, Southwest, and Frontier means virtually every medium and major-sized city across the United States is linked to Denver via nonstop flight. Additionally, other airlines that have a smaller presence at DEN, such as America, Delta, Alaska, and Spirit serve multiple destinations from Denver as well. Airlines at Denver International Airport also offer nonstop international flights to Europe, Latin America, and Canada. Check with your airline’s schedule for destinations.
Terminals
Landside
Denver International Airport (DEN) has a single landside terminal that is officially known as the Jeppesen Terminal, but is also referred to as The Great Hall. If you’ve seen a picture of the Denver Airport with its iconic, architectural fabric roof designed to mimic the nearby Rocky Mountains, then you’ve seen the Jeppesen Terminal.
All check-in, security screening, and baggage claim functions for the entire airport are served through this one landside terminal. The Jeppesen Terminal is arranged symmetrically into two sides – east and west – with parking, curbsides, ground transportation, check-in, and baggage claims located on each side. Of DEN’s three primary air carriers, functions for United Airlines are located on the west of the terminal and Frontier and Southwest Airlines are located on the east side.
The Jeppesen Terminal is arranged into six levels:
Level 1 contains a public transit center, a departures checked baggage drop, parking access
Level 2 contains parking access
Level 3 contains parking access
Level 4 contains parking access as well as arrivals pickups
Level 5 contains ground transportation, on-site hotel connection, parking access, baggage claim, and two TSA Security Screening Checkpoints (SSCP)
Level 6 contains check-in, departures drop-offs, and one TSA Security Screening Checkpoint. There is no direct parking access from Level 6.
Restrooms on the landside are located at levels 5 and 6 only, with the exception of a distant restroom in the transit center on level 1.
Airside
Post-security, Denver International Airport (DEN)’s airside is arranged into three linear concourses (A, B, and C) that can be accessed by an underground automated people mover (APM) train system. There is also an additional connection from landside to the A Concourse via footbridge. Access to/from the people mover system for departing, arriving, and connecting passengers is located at the center of each concourse.
Concourses at DEN are double-loaded, meaning there are gates and planes along both sides of the building. Additionally, each concourse contains a main concessions node with abundant shopping and dining options located near the people mover train stations, but concessions are also distributed along the concourses. Restrooms are evenly spaced along the length of each concourse, occurring roughly every three to five gates.
Denver International Airport’s concourses are long, ranging in length from about ½ to ¾ miles, but to accommodate this, each concourse contains an extensive moving walk system that speedily whisks passengers along.
Public Transportation
Can you take the bus or train from Denver International Airport? Yes, you can. The airport has a myriad of public transportation options, provided by Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD).
The most prominent option is to take the A Line commuter rail line, which links the airport with Downtown Denver. One-way fares for the train line cost $10.50 each way per person. The A Line train can be accessed via the transit center on Level 1, at south end of the main terminal. The airport is also served by several other bus routes.
Rental Cars
Rental cars are located off-site at Denver International Airport and can be accessed by taking a rental car shuttle bus from the Level 5 Ground Transportation curbside on either side of the landside Jeppesen Terminal. Each rental car company operates a separate site, so be sure to board the bus that corresponds with your rental car company. Overhead wayfinding signage in the terminal will direct you to each company’s bus pickup zone along the curbside.
Denver International Airport is served by all the major car rental agencies (Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Thrifty) as well as smaller players such as Fox, Payless, and Sixt.
Last Updated: November 2021