Denver International Airport has opened its first of three terraces and I recently had a chance to visit it. It’s a great step toward moving DEN from a venue of utility to a venue of beauty.
Denver Airport Terrace Is Beautiful
One thing I miss about living in Europe is that airports serve as beautiful hubs not only for airlines, but for people. For example, Frankfurt Airport has several restaurants and coffee shops (and hotels and offices) prior to security. It also has a pair of railroad stations (one for short-distance service and the other for longhaul trains). Airports are exempt from Germany’s Sunday closing laws, so you’ll see many Frankfurters heading to the airport on Sunday if they need something at the grocery store. Yes, the airport also has two grocery stores, banks, dry cleaners, and a whole floor of travel agencies.
So what does that have to do with a terrace opening in Denver?
I link the two because the creation of the new terrace 1.) makes DEN so much more inviting and 2.) makes it a destination in itself, even if only limited to air travelers. I realize I may be weird unique, but I’d pay to have a nice meal on a terrace overlooking aircraft arriving and departing.
Here are some photos of the new gate area and terrace:
This terrace is the culmination of United’s 39-gate expansion in Terminal B, which opened last November. Certainly this opening came at an inopportune time during the height of the pandemic, but it now serves as a bright and beautiful shared space as passengers have returned to the skies. As you can see in the pictures above, United has new high-tech gate displays which guide passengers to board or direct them to connecting gates.
Three additional concourse extensions are in the works at DEN, including the other side of Concourse B, Concourse A, and Concourse C. Both United and Southwest plan tremendous growth in Denver over the next few years. All will have terraces.
CONCLUSION
I love outdoor terraces and think the new gate area and terrace in Concourse B at Denver represents a bright future of travel in which airports in the USA draw closer to being places of beauty all while becoming even more functional.
Have you checked out the new terrace at DEN?
Is there a smoking area ?
No smoking permitted and Denver recently closed their indoor smoking rooms.
I don’t think your desire to see an airport as a destination is strange at all. Singapore’s Jewel coms to mind.
Gorgeous, simply beautiful!! Way to go UNITED!❤️
Is that snow and ice on the seats? There appears to be snow on the apron so, I assume it is. That seems like an unsuitable seating configuration for a place where it snows often.
Denver can go from snow to 70 (sometimes within hours) throughout the year so I think it makes a lot of sense to have an outdoor space.
Love the vertical signs.
And the other concourses are getting the patios in their expansion as well
I was there a few weeks ago and had a great time sitting on the patio and watching planes as the sun set. In my opinion it’s one of the best spots in a US airport currently.
Nice! I echo your point about European airports being so much more than just terminals where people board planes — they become part of the community. I embrace the concept of aerotropolis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerotropolis
Smokers need not worry—you’re guaranteed diesel exhaust fumes from the de-icing trucks parked next to the terrace. A few of the seats do have shelter from precipitation, and there’s a fire pit feature for the winter months.
Great job UA. I must say I look forward to DEN next time I go through. One of my favorite memories was flying LX first class from ZRH-HKG and enjoying the lovely terrace prior to the flight with a buddy, a beer and watching the planes come and go — very underrated feature when traveling.
Are the old gate areas being remodeled to match this nice new look? Would love to see a renovated gate as well.
@Tom—the terraces aren’t licensed for alcohol, so one would need to smuggle their own in, somehow, to recreate a sublime Zurich memory. Lufthansa departs from the A concourse at DEN.
Beautiful & eye catching views of planes come and go. we are there a few weeks ago and really had a memorable time setting on the big blue chair and watching planes.
I don’t know why people are ignorantly congratulating United; this is paid by us, the travelers, via the airport. I just read on ‘Stuck at the Airport’ that concessions will soon be available on these terraces. Hopefully, that includes alcohol, as it’d be a treat to sit out there looking up at the majestic Rocky Mountains with a glass of wine (with a nice side inhalation of the poisonous fumes, of course.)
Incidentally, DEN is my home airport and this is the first I’ve read/heard of these outdoor spaces. While I haven’t flown since the beginning of the pandemic, I still keep up with travel news and news in general. This is not well publicized here, unfortunately. I can’t wait to see and experience these new developments, as well as getting back up in the air and off to foreign lands.
Thinking about the first comment: while I can’t partake because of my profession, for others, I hope that prohibition doesn’t also extend to our legalized weed consumption. 😉 Highs to match our elevation.