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Denver International Airport (DIA) is a major international Airport located in northeastern Denver , Colorado . It is the largest airport in the world, and is operated by the City and County of Denver. In 2005 it served 43,387,513 passengers, which ranks eleventh worldwide (it usually ranks among the Top Ten Busiest Airports In The World ). At 53 sq. miles, it is the largest airport by area in the United States . The airport's distinctive white fabric roof is designed to be reminiscent of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains in Winter . It is also known for a pedestrian bridge connecting the terminal to Concourse A that offers a unique view of planes taxiing directly underneath. "DIA", as it is commonly known, is a major Hub for United Airlines and Frontier Airlines . The airport is much farther from downtown Denver than Stapleton International Airport , the airport it replaced. The distant location was chosen to avoid noise impacts to developed areas, to accommodate a generous runway layout that would not be compromised by winter storms, and to allow for future expansion. The land occupied by the airport actually has twice the land area of Manhattan , and was transferred from Adams County to Denver after a 1989 vote, instantly increasing the city's size by about half. However, much of the city of Aurora is actually closer to the airport than the developed portions of Denver, and all freeway traffic accessing the airport from Denver passes through Aurora. DIA has public Wi-Fi available provided by Cingular . PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM DIA The Regional Transportation District (RTD) operates frequent express bus service, called "SkyRide", between DIA and various locations throughout the Denver-Aurora and Boulder Metropolitan Areas. By 2015, RTD plans to build a Commuter Rail line from downtown Denver and Aurora to DIA, as part of the FasTracks expansion program. Ground transportation information is available at the airport's website . AUTOMATED BAGGAGE SYSTEM The airport's computerized baggage system, which was supposed to reduce flight delays, shorten waiting times at luggage carousels, and save airlines in labor costs, turned into an unmitigated failure. An opening originally scheduled for October 31 , 1993 with a single system for all three concourses turned into a February 28 , 1995 opening with separate systems for each concourse, with varying degrees of automation. The system's $186 million in original construction costs grew by $1 million per day during months of modifications and repairs. Incoming flights never made use of the system, and only United, DIA's dominant airline, used it for outgoing flights. The 40-year-old company responsible for the design of the automated system ( BAE Automated Systems of Carrollton, Texas ), at one time responsible for 90% of the baggage systems in the U.S., was acquired in 2003. The system never worked well, and in August 2005 , it became public knowledge that United would abandon the system, a decision that would save them $1 million in monthly maintenance costs. TRIVIA
HISTORY In September 1989 , under the leadership of Denver Mayor Federico Peña , federal officials authorized the outlay of the first $60 million for the construction of DIA. Two years later, Mayor Wellington Webb inherited the project, scheduled to open on October 29, 1993. Delays caused by poor planning and repeated design changes due to changing requirements from United caused Mayor Webb to push opening day out, first to December 1993, then to March 1994. By September 1993, delays due to a Millwright strike and other events meant opening day was pushed out again, to May 15, 1994. This earned the airport the tongue-in-cheek nicknames "Delayed Indefinitely Airport" or "Denver's Imaginary Airport" using the DIA acronym. In April 1994, the city invited reporters to observe the first test of the new baggage system. Reporters were treated to scenes of clothing and other personal effects scattered beneath the system's tracks, while the acutators that moved luggage from belt to belt would often toss the luggage right off the system instead. The mayor cancelled the planned May 15 opening. The baggage system continued to be a maintenance hassle and was finally terminated in September 2005 {Link without Title} , with traditional baggage handlers manually handling cargo and passenger luggage. On September 25th of 1994, DVX hosted a fly-in that drew several hundred general aviation aircraft, providing GA pilots with a unique opportunity to operate into and out of the new airport, and to wander around on foot looking at the ground-side facilities -- including the baggage system, which was still under test. FAA controllers also took advantage of the event to test procedures, and to check for holes in radio coverage as planes taxied around and among the buildings. DIA finally replaced Stapleton in 1995 , 16 months behind schedule and at a cost of $5.2 billion, nearly $2 billion over budget. The delays and high fees prompted Continental Airlines , which had a hub at Stapleton, to back out of its plans to establish one at DIA. During a major Blizzard in 2003 , the heavy Snow tore a hole in the terminal's white fabric roof. In 2004 , DIA was ranked first in major airports for on time arrivals according to the Federal Aviation Administration . DEN's sixth runway (16R/34L) is the longest commercial precision-instrument runway in North America with a length of 16,000 feet. Compared to other DEN runways, the extra 4,000-foot length will allow fully loaded jumbo jets to take off in Denver's mile-high altitude during summer months, thereby providing unrestricted global access for any airline using DEN. The sixth runway can also accommodate the new generation of massive airliners, including the Airbus A380 . CONSPIRACY THEORIES Upon completion, Denver International Airport was almost immediately made the subject of many different conspiracy theories, which primarily alleged that there is some sort of underground New World Order base on site. Still other conspiracy theories assert that a vast base of alien Greys and/or Reptoids exists under the airport. One of the main reasons for the theories was due to the shape of the airport, which is alleged to allude to a Nazi swastika or the symbol of the logo. The airport also features murals whose imagery some have found disturbing, such as one depicting a soldier clad in a Gas Mask firing an automatic weapon towards the viewer. Some of these murals have been painted over after complaints about their nature emerged. CONCOURSES AND AIRLINES Denver International Airport has three midfield Concourse s, spaced far apart. Concourse A is accessible via a pedestrian bridge directly from the terminal building, as well as via the underground train system that services all three concourses. For access to Concourses B and C, passengers must utilize the underground train system. The concourses and main terminal are laid out similar to Atlanta's Airport , except that DEN has no "T" gates directly attached to the terminal and departures are on a different level of the terminal than arrivals. The airport charges relatively high landing fees to airlines in order to offset its hefty construction costs. These fees have led to increased competition from Colorado Springs Airport . Concourse A
Concourse B (United) biplane at the concourse's west end.]]
Concourse C
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