Frontier Airlines is planning a major change at Denver International Airport (DEN), one of its main hubs, building a new terminal and move all its departures and arrival to remote positions.
Once completed, passengers will board and deplane the aircraft via stairs on the apron rather than through boarding bridges.
The project is in conjunction with the airport management, which will invest $317 million dollars in improvements to the air station. The Denver City Council recently approved the proposal.
Frontier, which is the third largest operator in Denver, primarily uses nine gates in Concourse A fitted with boarding bridges. With the changes, it would gain exclusive use of fourteen remote, stair-accessible positions. The move, scheduled for 2024, would make the slots it currently uses available for other airlines and increase flexibility in assigning gates.
As reported by The Denver Post, airline executives especially emphasize the increased operational efficiency that the change will bring. The new positions will shorten wait times between flights. In some cases, they will be reduced by almost a half, thanks to the possibility of using the front and rear gates of the aircraft simultaneously.
The project includes the construction of a ground-level passenger area. The new facility would be 120,000 square feet. The increase in the number of gates would allow it to increase its services offering in Denver, from where it currently operates flights to 80 destinations.
United and Southwest, the two carriers with the largest market share at the airport, will use thirty-nine new gates, which will be available by the end of 2022. Against a backdrop of recovering of the air traffic levels at Denver, the new terminal is particularly important for Frontier.
Work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024. In addition, the airport expects to enter into a ten-year lease agreement for these spaces until 2034.
