United today announced plans to significantly grow its position as Denver’s leading airline, adding 35 flights, six new routes, a dozen new gates and three clubs, including the largest ones in the carrier’s network.
Starting this summer, United also will double the total number of early morning departures and late evening arrivals in and out of Denver, giving customers more flexibility and more options to stay away longer.
United will celebrate the expansion later today at Denver International Airport where the airline’s CEO Scott Kirby and Chief Customer Officer Linda Jojo will host customers, elected officials and local partners for a tour of United’s soon-to-open club spaces and a look inside a brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, one of the planes that will fly some of the new Denver routes and one of about 700 new planes the airline expects to receive in the next decade.
«Denver is one of the fastest growing cities in the country and as the Mile High City’s most flown airline, it’s essential that we maintain the most modern infrastructure and fleet to support our local employees and customers and deliver a great experience,» said United CEO Scott Kirby. «Our expansion in Denver will further enable us to connect our customers to destinations across the globe and revitalize our presence at the airport with modern, customer friendly offerings.»
According to The American Growth Project, Denver is one of America’s fastest growing cities. It not only attracts professionals who work in hybrid environments, but also has retained millennials who lived in Denver when they were younger and decided to stay or return by age 26. Both of those groups want access to more flexible travel options that include a wide range of domestic and international choices.
The airline will add new non-stops to six destinations including four not served by any other Denver airline: Dayton, OH; Greensboro, NC; Lexington, KY and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The airline’s local infrastructure improvements include 12 new gates set to open in the A and B concourses by the middle of 2024. That will give United 90 total gates, the most at Denver International Airport.
This expansion is part of the carrier’s nearly $1 billion investment to further improve the customer experience in Denver – an increase in gate capacity by 30%, a new check-in lobby, new user-friendly technology at gates, a new grab-n-go club concept called United Club FlySM and the renovation and expansion of United ClubSM locations.
This summer, United will also open a new club on the A Concourse and reopen its first of two revamped clubs on the B Concourse. The B concourse United Club locations will be the largest ever . All three United Club locations will feature two full levels of club space, and an upgraded design that reflects the Colorado region.
To commemorate United’s long-term commitment to the city of Denver, Mayor Michael B. Hancock has issued a proclamation naming today ‘United Airlines Day.’ United’s presence in Denver is significant to the prosperity of the city, and today’s declaration by the Mayor reiterates United as Denver’s hometown airline.
«It’s been an honor to work with United during my time as Mayor of Denver. Together, we’ve been able to extend our city’s reach across the world,» said Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock. «United’s domestic and global network supports DEN’s Vision 100 strategic plan to expand for 100 million passengers within the next decade, and I’m proud to see them continue to grow their network at DEN and further connect our community to more destinations.»
Growing United’s Network in Denver
As a result of the airline’s United Next plan, United will expand mainline flying out of Denver to its highest levels in 20 years, while repurposing its regional fleet to fly to smaller, less-served destinations. Overall, United will offer more capacity from Denver than ever before, with over 60,000 departing seats per day.
In total, United will operate 35 new flights in 2023 out of Denver and since 2018, has added over 90 mainline departures per day.
This year, United will fly new 737 MAX aircraft non-stop to San Juan, Puerto Rico, beginning October 29, and Montego Bay, Jamaica*, beginning November 4. In addition to the new routes, United will use its new MAX aircraft to increase service to popular destinations like Miami, Austin, Boston and Atlanta. As United grows its mainline fleet, the airline will use Embraer 175 aircraft to connect Denver with Asheville, NC; Dayton, OH; Greensboro, NC and Lexington, KY, starting on September 29.
United’s new morning flight bank will offer Denver customers expanded flight options to many popular destinations like Dallas/Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego and Seattle. By doubling the total number of early morning departures and late evening arrivals, customers will have more flexibility and a greater ability to maximize their stays.
This summer, United will fly non-stop to more than 150 destinations from Denver, with over 450 daily departures – more than 50% more flights and destinations than the airline’s nearest competitor. United is proud to be the only airline serving Hawaii non-stop from Denver, with up to five daily flights across Hawaii’s four largest islands. Additionally, with 18 international destinations – more than double any other airline, and the only US carrier serving Europe and Japan – United is the go-to airline for Denver customers traveling across the United States and the world.
New Gates and Clubs
Last year, United began its ambitious concourse expansion, adding 20 new gates across A and B concourses. United plans to open 12 more gates by the middle of 2024, bringing United to an industry-leading 90 gates at the airport. The airline is also investing more than $40 million to update its footprint at 55 existing Concourse B gates by incorporating modern furniture options with in-seat power and new digital signage and self-service kiosks to support customers on their journey.
This summer, United will also open two of three new United Club locations in Denver, including its largest club in the world. Each club will feature elevated design inspired by Colorado as well as modern amenities including self-scan entry gates, Agent on Demand kiosks, free high-speed Wi-Fi, among others. Once open, Denver International Airport will feature approximately 100,000 square-feet of club space across three United Club locations and United Club Fly, the airline’s grab-and-go club format that debuted in 2022.
‘That’s the Denver in Us’ Advertising Debut
Nearly a year after United debuted its first fully integrated national brand advertising campaign in nearly a decade, Good Leads The Way, the brand is localizing its approach to advertising starting with one of its largest hubs: Denver.
‘That’s the Denver in Us» is the story of an airline and a city with a shared DNA that bring out the best in each other. From taking Denver careers to new heights as the largest private employer in the city, to serving as the ideal backdrop to prepare the next generation of pilots at the world’s largest training facility, Denver and United’s more than 85-year history is unique and extends far beyond the arrival and departure gates.
Travelers and the Denver community will see the love letter to the city on local broadcast TV, on digital kiosks in the airport and downtown as well as on billboards around the city. The advertisements also will run on streaming platforms and on United social channels in Denver.
Creating Thousands of Careers
United is the largest private employer in the city of Denver, with nearly 10,000 Denver-based employees and growing. In 2023, the airline plans to hire more than 2,300 people – from ramp agents and customer service representatives, to pilots, flight attendants, maintenance technicians and more.
Overall, in 2022, the airline hired 15,000 people across its network and will add another 15,000 this year – on track to add about 50,000 people by 2026. For more information about United’s recruiting and hiring efforts, visit careers.united.com.
*Flight subject to government approval
