One of the world's busiest airports gets a $2 billion upgrade
A distinctive multi-peaked roof mimics Colorado's Rocky Mountains with 34 Teflon fibreglass 'tents' housing Denver's unique passenger terminal complex. The design has won numerous architectural awards and still dazzles from where it sits at the adventure gateway to the Rockies, despite clocking its 30th birthday in 2025. Inside, the pavilion-like roof utilises sustainable heating systems and gives a spacious, airy feeling alongside walls of glass to let natural light in and break up hours of claustrophobic, temperature-controlled travel. Small portions are currently boarded up – but don't feel obtrusive – as the airport undergoes a $US1.3 billion refurbishment known as the 'Great Hall Program' to be completed in 2027.
Check in
It's the age of unmanned check-in kiosks and a few self-service screens are stalled by a 'loading' death spiral. I soon ask for human assistance anyway, because the 23-kilogram baggage limit on United Airlines won't compute with the 30-kilogram limit I've been allocated by booking Denver-Sydney through Qantas as a Silver Frequent Flyer. A gruff employee quickly overrides the $US200 overweight charge, and my haul of heavy ski jackets and snow boots trundle off into the airport's belly.
Security
Denver is the third-busiest airport in the US, serving more than 82.4 million passengers in 2024. The security lines, until recently, were notorious. Fortunately, the most important upgrades of the Great Hall Program are 17 new security screening lanes – all operating at rapid pace when I go through West Security Checkpoint. There's a five-minute wait before I remove my coat, shoes, belt and a newly acquired cowgirl hat to go through. The most time-consuming process is getting to the actual gates - Denver airport has the largest land footprint in the US and it's a 2.3-kilometre walk to the furthest gate. But the journey is straightforward via an automated underground train transporting passengers to A, B and C concourses.
Food + drink
I pop out at Concourse B where there's a plethora of options with quick eats led by American juggernauts Chick-fil-A, Jamba Juice, Shake Shack, SmashBurger and Starbucks. Modern Market appears to be the healthiest option with salads, soups and sandwiches. Local Colorado brewery New Belgium Brewing keeps the boys on a buck's weekend watered, while Denver's legendary brunch diner Snooze A.M. Eatery serves all-day breakfast to the time-zone-addled.
Retail therapy
Duty free includes the usual perfumes, makeup and alcohol stores alongside knickknacks and convenience items. The independent Denver bookstore chain of Tattered Cover Book Stores vies for my remaining American dollars. Alas, those end up going to a $US20 neck pillow after kicking myself when I realise I left mine in the hotel.
Passing time
Having arrived at the rental car drop-off three hours before my flight, the meandering journey to my gate leaves little time before boarding. I'd otherwise check out the golf simulator on Concourse A, the express day spa on Concourse C, or make friends with the Canine Airport Therapy Squad (CATS) team of happy pooches and one feline trotting around. But for 20 minutes I'm fully content to log into the airport's free Wi-Fi, sink into rows of padded seating in front of floor-to-ceiling glass and watch the sun set over the Rocky Mountains.
The verdict
Loading
My worst airport experience ever was in this very terminal 10 years ago on a public holiday, when I waited in a snaking security queue that filled the entrance hall and extended out the automatic doors into the snow. Today, recent upgrades make it one of the best. Security screening is no longer the Wild West and accessing Colorado's four national parks and 28 ski resorts just got easier.
Our rating out of five
★★★★½
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
12 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Trump signs controversial spending bill into US law
US President Donald Trump has signed into law a massive package of tax and spending cuts in a ceremony at the White House, one day after the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the signature legislation of Trump's second term. The bill, which will fund Trump's immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent, and is expected to knock millions of Americans off health insurance, was passed with a 218-214 vote after an emotional debate on the House floor. "I've never seen people so happy in our country because of that, because so many different groups of people are being taken care of: the military, civilians of all types, jobs of all types," Trump said on Friday at the ceremony, thanking House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune for leading the bill through the two houses of Congress. "So you have the biggest tax cut, the biggest spending cut, the largest border security investment in American history." Trump scheduled the ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House for the July 4 Independence Day holiday, replete with a flyover by stealth bombers and fighter jets like those that took part in the recent US strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. Hundreds of Trump supporters attended, including White House aides, members of Congress, and military families. The bill's passage amounts to a big win for Trump and his Republican allies, who have argued it will boost economic growth, while largely dismissing a nonpartisan analysis predicting it will add more than $US3 trillion ($A4.6 trillion) to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.2 trillion) debt. While some lawmakers in Trump's party expressed concerns over the bill's price tag and its hit to healthcare programs, in the end just two of the House's 220 Republicans voted against it, joining all 212 Democrats in opposition. The tense standoff over the bill included a record-long floor speech by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who spoke for eight hours and 46 minutes, blasting the bill as a giveaway to the wealthy that would strip low-income Americans of federally-backed health insurance and food aid benefits. US President Donald Trump has signed into law a massive package of tax and spending cuts in a ceremony at the White House, one day after the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the signature legislation of Trump's second term. The bill, which will fund Trump's immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent, and is expected to knock millions of Americans off health insurance, was passed with a 218-214 vote after an emotional debate on the House floor. "I've never seen people so happy in our country because of that, because so many different groups of people are being taken care of: the military, civilians of all types, jobs of all types," Trump said on Friday at the ceremony, thanking House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune for leading the bill through the two houses of Congress. "So you have the biggest tax cut, the biggest spending cut, the largest border security investment in American history." Trump scheduled the ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House for the July 4 Independence Day holiday, replete with a flyover by stealth bombers and fighter jets like those that took part in the recent US strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. Hundreds of Trump supporters attended, including White House aides, members of Congress, and military families. The bill's passage amounts to a big win for Trump and his Republican allies, who have argued it will boost economic growth, while largely dismissing a nonpartisan analysis predicting it will add more than $US3 trillion ($A4.6 trillion) to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.2 trillion) debt. While some lawmakers in Trump's party expressed concerns over the bill's price tag and its hit to healthcare programs, in the end just two of the House's 220 Republicans voted against it, joining all 212 Democrats in opposition. The tense standoff over the bill included a record-long floor speech by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who spoke for eight hours and 46 minutes, blasting the bill as a giveaway to the wealthy that would strip low-income Americans of federally-backed health insurance and food aid benefits. US President Donald Trump has signed into law a massive package of tax and spending cuts in a ceremony at the White House, one day after the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the signature legislation of Trump's second term. The bill, which will fund Trump's immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent, and is expected to knock millions of Americans off health insurance, was passed with a 218-214 vote after an emotional debate on the House floor. "I've never seen people so happy in our country because of that, because so many different groups of people are being taken care of: the military, civilians of all types, jobs of all types," Trump said on Friday at the ceremony, thanking House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune for leading the bill through the two houses of Congress. "So you have the biggest tax cut, the biggest spending cut, the largest border security investment in American history." Trump scheduled the ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House for the July 4 Independence Day holiday, replete with a flyover by stealth bombers and fighter jets like those that took part in the recent US strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. Hundreds of Trump supporters attended, including White House aides, members of Congress, and military families. The bill's passage amounts to a big win for Trump and his Republican allies, who have argued it will boost economic growth, while largely dismissing a nonpartisan analysis predicting it will add more than $US3 trillion ($A4.6 trillion) to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.2 trillion) debt. While some lawmakers in Trump's party expressed concerns over the bill's price tag and its hit to healthcare programs, in the end just two of the House's 220 Republicans voted against it, joining all 212 Democrats in opposition. The tense standoff over the bill included a record-long floor speech by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who spoke for eight hours and 46 minutes, blasting the bill as a giveaway to the wealthy that would strip low-income Americans of federally-backed health insurance and food aid benefits. US President Donald Trump has signed into law a massive package of tax and spending cuts in a ceremony at the White House, one day after the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the signature legislation of Trump's second term. The bill, which will fund Trump's immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent, and is expected to knock millions of Americans off health insurance, was passed with a 218-214 vote after an emotional debate on the House floor. "I've never seen people so happy in our country because of that, because so many different groups of people are being taken care of: the military, civilians of all types, jobs of all types," Trump said on Friday at the ceremony, thanking House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune for leading the bill through the two houses of Congress. "So you have the biggest tax cut, the biggest spending cut, the largest border security investment in American history." Trump scheduled the ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House for the July 4 Independence Day holiday, replete with a flyover by stealth bombers and fighter jets like those that took part in the recent US strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. Hundreds of Trump supporters attended, including White House aides, members of Congress, and military families. The bill's passage amounts to a big win for Trump and his Republican allies, who have argued it will boost economic growth, while largely dismissing a nonpartisan analysis predicting it will add more than $US3 trillion ($A4.6 trillion) to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.2 trillion) debt. While some lawmakers in Trump's party expressed concerns over the bill's price tag and its hit to healthcare programs, in the end just two of the House's 220 Republicans voted against it, joining all 212 Democrats in opposition. The tense standoff over the bill included a record-long floor speech by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who spoke for eight hours and 46 minutes, blasting the bill as a giveaway to the wealthy that would strip low-income Americans of federally-backed health insurance and food aid benefits.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Trump signs controversial spending bill into US law
US President Donald Trump has signed into law a massive package of tax and spending cuts in a ceremony at the White House, one day after the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the signature legislation of Trump's second term. The bill, which will fund Trump's immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent, and is expected to knock millions of Americans off health insurance, was passed with a 218-214 vote after an emotional debate on the House floor. "I've never seen people so happy in our country because of that, because so many different groups of people are being taken care of: the military, civilians of all types, jobs of all types," Trump said on Friday at the ceremony, thanking House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune for leading the bill through the two houses of Congress. "So you have the biggest tax cut, the biggest spending cut, the largest border security investment in American history." Trump scheduled the ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House for the July 4 Independence Day holiday, replete with a flyover by stealth bombers and fighter jets like those that took part in the recent US strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. Hundreds of Trump supporters attended, including White House aides, members of Congress, and military families. The bill's passage amounts to a big win for Trump and his Republican allies, who have argued it will boost economic growth, while largely dismissing a nonpartisan analysis predicting it will add more than $US3 trillion ($A4.6 trillion) to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.2 trillion) debt. While some lawmakers in Trump's party expressed concerns over the bill's price tag and its hit to healthcare programs, in the end just two of the House's 220 Republicans voted against it, joining all 212 Democrats in opposition. The tense standoff over the bill included a record-long floor speech by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who spoke for eight hours and 46 minutes, blasting the bill as a giveaway to the wealthy that would strip low-income Americans of federally-backed health insurance and food aid benefits.
West Australian
6 hours ago
- West Australian
Flights from Perth on sale for $199 as State Government intervenes to boost Kimberley tourism
Local flights are being discounted to support the Kimberley's tourism industry in the wake of Jetstar Asia's collapse. More than 4000 discounted airfares will be for sale, including $199 one-way flights from Perth to Broome via Virgin Australia, in a bid to encourage Perth families to make up the shortfall from international tourists who have been forced to cancel bookings. 'Broome is one of WA's most iconic and beloved destinations and these additional discounted flights will drive even more visitors to the Kimberley, providing a much needed tourism boost,' Tourism Minister Reece Whitby said. 'While it was disappointing that the Jetstar Asia Broome to Singapore flights were cancelled, we're reinforcing our commitment to enhancing our State's regional connections. 'I encourage anyone thinking of heading to Broome to make that booking a reality to enjoy the fantastic Kimberley region of our State.' The rescue package is being funded out of the $75 million Aviation Recovery Fund and is on top of 16,400 discounted airfares already funded out of the Budget's $3 million Affordable Airfares Program. Regional intrastate flights by Nexus Airlines will be discounted too, with $399 fares one-way from Geraldton, $299 from Karratha and $199 from Port Hedland. 'The Cook Government is proud to support the region's tourism industry,' Minister for the Kimberley Stephen Dawson said. 'Not only are these discounted airfares and experiences a win for visitors to the region but it's also a win for regional businesses and tour operators.' Broome's only international route was axed in June, when Qantas scrapped its Singapore-based Jetstar Asia offshoot to instead bring 13 Airbus A320 aircraft jets back to Australia, to use on more profitable domestic and trans-Tasman operations. Premier Roger Cook has vowed to try to restore the service but, so far, Qantas and Jetstar Australian management have baulked, claiming the Broome to Singapore flights were barely half-full.
