For a nearly 30 year old airport I'd say that's a good thing. DEN was built for future growth in mind, and despite boondoggles with the Great Hall project and a lack of walkable tunnel between terminals the airport has managed to take on the passenger numbers its designers forecasted.
@@xxplosive656 they definitely did a good job future proofing it. Every time they review that master plan they must be thanking the original designers for making their job easier. We may b**ch and moan about having to drive so far outside of the city but it will be worth it as it will allow the airport to grow more alongside Colorado and the world.
Coloradan here, it’s extremely crazy to see how much DIA has grown and changed throughout the years. It has went from nothing and dead, to possibly one of the busiest airports in the United States. It’s like now there’s hundreds of thousands to millions of travelers here every year. Now with more gates being built and the great hall project still underway, I expect it’s only going to get bigger in the next upcoming decade.
All according to plan :) Glad they designed the airport with the future in mind. Stapleton maxed out its capacity in the 80's and was even contributing to flight delays systemwide because of its limited runway capacity, especially with any sort of inclement weather.
Coming Round The Mountain jingle at 12:50 I specifically remember from my 2003 trip. Funny enough the minor key jingle inside the train arriving the main terminal nowadays is sort of an easter egg.
The fun days when you can hangout at the airport and go beyond security with no excuse. After 9/11, now it is ticketed passengers only. I have relatives in Colorado and would have walking exercises in the terminal and board the underground subway between the terminals also, but now they aren't allowed to go beyond security without any airline tickets anymore. Those fun days are over.
@@xxplosive656 Fr. I think the airport’s original doubters have been proven flatly wrong. Can you imagine Stapleton handling this kind of growth? It would be a crisis.
The reason for McDonald’s inside any airport terminal w/ a United hub is that both companies were able to work together w/out high speed internet since they were both headquartered in Chicago
Yep... the terrorists won that day One freak incident, and they managed to get Americans to eagerly plung their government into decades and decades of un-managable mountains of debt used almost exclusively to just violate their own citizens privacy. American FreeDumb on full display!
Work here, crazy too see as renovations and new parts of the concourses are added on a and b and they have mixed the old and the new. Many things in this video haven't changed and inch but it's weird to think about the people that have come and gone both in flight and in life and death from this time, including myself.
@@Gdub33 ah, what about the miner illusions or something. Like there were cutout of a shape of a miner mining, and when you pass by it, it did a sort of animation with you passing by each frame, like a flipnote animation
@@WhyWhydaguy in the tunnel? I don't remember that in the tunnel. And I don't remember it on any of the concourses or the main area. Do u remember where it was?
30 seconds in and seeing the ticket building (I think it was?) was a trip. The remnants of that got torn out of there a couple months ago and even by then all that remained was the foundation and some large brick segments.
Bro the airport becomes that desolate every night still in 2024. These guys must have went around midnight. It gets VERY slow and deserted early in the AM.
@@makarov718 every time of day? Every time I go there I don't even have enough time to get McDonald's because the line is too long. I usually fly out in the morning or early afternoon.
@@Gdub33 oh god no you are flying out during prime time, i work OVN so 9pm-6am and after 12 its dead i can go to the mcd at A con at 1am and have no line, however i avoid it as its probably the worst mcd ive been to in my life no joke
What time of the evening was this filmed? I ask because I usually catch a flight at 10 or 11 pm heading out of DIA heading back from visiting my family, and the place is absolutely slammed, no matter what day it is or what time of year. To see it so empty like this is just weird to me. Still, very cool to see what it looked like when it first opened. Looks like it was super cutting-edge for its time.
Actually Austin Bergstrom airport is younger than DIA, both cities are state capitols for cowboy hat wearing beer drinking barbecuing suv driving states
@@Squab1987Sadly, the Californians have moved to denver and taken it over. So we are no longer chill and cool 🤠. Good news is the California-caters are leaving and the Texans are coming in. Which I'm happy to accommodate. Unlike those tofu eating soys.
"look at those towers, where are the towers?" Those are the towers you shouldn't have been worried about lol. I miss pre-911 airport procedure. When you could meet people at the gate and didn't have to have your penis scanned and in full detail by tsa when you go have to go into those body scanning machines.
Never again will DIA be that empty. Now it’s complete mayhem at that airport. Renovations have been going on for 10+ years, stalled due to typical American litigation, inefficient construction processes and rotating door of general contractors. It’s sad, I hate the airport.
Cool video! Thanks for the upload! Too bad they replaced those trees with TSA lines... thats depressing. Freedom yo!... lets plunge our entire nation into mass unescapable debt for the forseible future, through violating million's of domestic traveler's privacy, all because some foreigners pulled off a freak chicken chit terror attack one day. ...and yet almost weekly school shootings for 2 decades now have amounted to literally nothing... Im so proud to be an American 😂😂 -sorry to leave a depressing negative comment on your fun nostalgic video... but these videos sure make ya think.
Now it’s a joke. Trust me, worked there for years including after Covid. It’s a joke now. Everything is either broken, under construction or faulty. Needs updating right now. Still not as bad as Newark tho. EWR is a full-on circus act. 😂
Great video. This was truly a nice airport back in the day. I’ve flown almost 2M miles through DIA so I speak from experience. Now it’s mostly a dump, poorly run, dirty and dingy. You are lucky if the escalators are running or the restroom is even somewhat clean. And of all insults, the audio on the trains promotes Denver over the rest of the state, yet travelers mostly go to the rest of the state over Denver. I hope someone takes DIA away from Denver!
Wtf r u talking about? It's still a great airport and they are constantly renovating. It's a marvel and one of the best & busiest airports in the US. Your experience must be mistaken.
Bruh! Tell me about it! Luckily our population has finally decreased for the first time in decades after these Californians drove up rent to astronomical levels. They are now leaving to invade smaller cities like they always do. I feel bad for the small/medium cities they are moving to, but thankful they are leaving MY state.
@@worldbfr3e263u don't know what ur talking about. U probably weren't born long enough to even understand how great Denver used to be 20 years ago. Ignorance needs to shush please. This is a conversation for adults.
@@Gazlene420 I was responding to the dude who said ok boomer. I agree with the OP. Why are you here complaining to me? Anytime some teen thinks they understand something better than the people who have decades more life experience they so "ok boomer". Like I said, I bet that kid isn't even in his 20's or grew up here in the 90s.
Wild to see how much and how little has changed simultaneously
For a nearly 30 year old airport I'd say that's a good thing. DEN was built for future growth in mind, and despite boondoggles with the Great Hall project and a lack of walkable tunnel between terminals the airport has managed to take on the passenger numbers its designers forecasted.
@@xxplosive656 they definitely did a good job future proofing it. Every time they review that master plan they must be thanking the original designers for making their job easier.
We may b**ch and moan about having to drive so far outside of the city but it will be worth it as it will allow the airport to grow more alongside Colorado and the world.
Coloradan here, it’s extremely crazy to see how much DIA has grown and changed throughout the years. It has went from nothing and dead, to possibly one of the busiest airports in the United States. It’s like now there’s hundreds of thousands to millions of travelers here every year. Now with more gates being built and the great hall project still underway, I expect it’s only going to get bigger in the next upcoming decade.
All according to plan :) Glad they designed the airport with the future in mind. Stapleton maxed out its capacity in the 80's and was even contributing to flight delays systemwide because of its limited runway capacity, especially with any sort of inclement weather.
That home on the range jingle remains in my heart forever and ever I miss it so much
Coming Round The Mountain jingle at 12:50 I specifically remember from my 2003 trip. Funny enough the minor key jingle inside the train arriving the main terminal nowadays is sort of an easter egg.
The fun days when you can hangout at the airport and go beyond security with no excuse. After 9/11, now it is ticketed passengers only. I have relatives in Colorado and would have walking exercises in the terminal and board the underground subway between the terminals also, but now they aren't allowed to go beyond security without any airline tickets anymore. Those fun days are over.
It’s so nostalgic hearing the original train jingles again. Thank you for sharing this footage.
Thank you for posting this historical artifact. We are lucky DEN was built with the future in mind.
@@xxplosive656 Fr. I think the airport’s original doubters have been proven flatly wrong. Can you imagine Stapleton handling this kind of growth? It would be a crisis.
I cried when I saw the pinwheels moving in the tunnel…took me back to when I was 4.
@12:10
Interviewer: “One words for this airport”
Train: “BOARD HERE!”
Hilarious interruption
You deserve lots of thanks for uploading this.
“You put a man on the moon, can you get brakes to quit squeaking?” 🤣
The reason for McDonald’s inside any airport terminal w/ a United hub is that both companies were able to work together w/out high speed internet since they were both headquartered in Chicago
That McDonals is still in that exact location.
I was wondering how they got to the terminal without going through security, forgot that's how things were before i was born
Amazing how much the place changes weekly. Wow TWA. Also cool to see a 727& DC 10 in the background. I am lost every time I go out there 🙂
Seeing the Continental name makes me miss them. Greatest major airline ever
So much has changed
A slice of history. Very cool to see!
First went there in August 2003. Place was so desolate at the time. Now it’s one of the most crowded and hectic airports in operation.
OMG the security checkpoints were almost nonexistent
Yes because it was pre 9-11. Are you not old enough to ever experienced meeting a loved one at the gate?
Yep... the terrorists won that day
One freak incident, and they managed to get Americans to eagerly plung their government into decades and decades of un-managable mountains of debt used almost exclusively to just violate their own citizens privacy.
American FreeDumb on full display!
Work here, crazy too see as renovations and new parts of the concourses are added on a and b and they have mixed the old and the new. Many things in this video haven't changed and inch but it's weird to think about the people that have come and gone both in flight and in life and death from this time, including myself.
Only difference between then and now is newer planes, and the hotel.
Wonder if they still have those old spiny things seen when you are on the train system.
@@WhyWhydaguythey do have those same wind turbine looking things. At least the last time I flew out two years ago.
@@Gdub33 ah, what about the miner illusions or something. Like there were cutout of a shape of a miner mining, and when you pass by it, it did a sort of animation with you passing by each frame, like a flipnote animation
@@WhyWhydaguy in the tunnel? I don't remember that in the tunnel. And I don't remember it on any of the concourses or the main area. Do u remember where it was?
@@Gdub33 I meant the tunnel the train went through, I don’t remember that much
30 seconds in and seeing the ticket building (I think it was?) was a trip. The remnants of that got torn out of there a couple months ago and even by then all that remained was the foundation and some large brick segments.
Even though a lot has changed, overall it looks very similar to how it does today lol
Crazy to see it so dead. I first flew out of there in like 2008 and every time since then I have yet to see it this desolate, cool video for sure.
Bro the airport becomes that desolate every night still in 2024. These guys must have went around midnight. It gets VERY slow and deserted early in the AM.
@@Gdub33 i work at DIA ovn and its always desolate, just a occasional employee/janitor for the entire terminal
@@makarov718 every time of day? Every time I go there I don't even have enough time to get McDonald's because the line is too long. I usually fly out in the morning or early afternoon.
@@Gdub33 oh god no you are flying out during prime time, i work OVN so 9pm-6am and after 12 its dead
i can go to the mcd at A con at 1am and have no line, however i avoid it as its probably the worst mcd ive been to in my life no joke
What time of the evening was this filmed? I ask because I usually catch a flight at 10 or 11 pm heading out of DIA heading back from visiting my family, and the place is absolutely slammed, no matter what day it is or what time of year. To see it so empty like this is just weird to me. Still, very cool to see what it looked like when it first opened. Looks like it was super cutting-edge for its time.
It's probably after midnight. I've had a few red eyes in and out and this is what it typically looks like.
Probably one of the most youngest airports in an American Major City.
Actually Austin Bergstrom airport is younger than DIA, both cities are state capitols for cowboy hat wearing beer drinking barbecuing suv driving states
@@Squab1987 🤠
@@Squab1987Sadly, the Californians have moved to denver and taken it over. So we are no longer chill and cool 🤠. Good news is the California-caters are leaving and the Texans are coming in. Which I'm happy to accommodate. Unlike those tofu eating soys.
Can you find the video of them landing 3 747 at the exact same time?
"look at those towers, where are the towers?" Those are the towers you shouldn't have been worried about lol. I miss pre-911 airport procedure. When you could meet people at the gate and didn't have to have your penis scanned and in full detail by tsa when you go have to go into those body scanning machines.
3 times now I've gotten a "!" Right between my legs. Can't be mad at the system I guess 😂
7:55
What’s that song in the beginning it’s a remix
Never again will DIA be that empty. Now it’s complete mayhem at that airport. Renovations have been going on for 10+ years, stalled due to typical American litigation, inefficient construction processes and rotating door of general contractors. It’s sad, I hate the airport.
I've traveled a ton for airport. And DIA is up there for one of my least favorites for sure. Tram broke all the time now days.
No security line??? Lol
Before 9/11
Security... wow. What a way the world has changed since 9/11.
Cool video! Thanks for the upload!
Too bad they replaced those trees with TSA lines... thats depressing.
Freedom yo!... lets plunge our entire nation into mass unescapable debt for the forseible future, through violating million's of domestic traveler's privacy, all because some foreigners pulled off a freak chicken chit terror attack one day.
...and yet almost weekly school shootings for 2 decades now have amounted to literally nothing...
Im so proud to be an American 😂😂
-sorry to leave a depressing negative comment on your fun nostalgic video... but these videos sure make ya think.
Now it’s a joke. Trust me, worked there for years including after Covid. It’s a joke now. Everything is either broken, under construction or faulty. Needs updating right now. Still not as bad as Newark tho. EWR is a full-on circus act. 😂
Great video. This was truly a nice airport back in the day. I’ve flown almost 2M miles through DIA so I speak from experience. Now it’s mostly a dump, poorly run, dirty and dingy. You are lucky if the escalators are running or the restroom is even somewhat clean. And of all insults, the audio on the trains promotes Denver over the rest of the state, yet travelers mostly go to the rest of the state over Denver. I hope someone takes DIA away from Denver!
Wtf r u talking about? It's still a great airport and they are constantly renovating. It's a marvel and one of the best & busiest airports in the US. Your experience must be mistaken.
Guessing you never flew out of Stapleton.
@@UnitedAirlines4Life How's EWR working out for ya?
@@xxplosive656True that. DEN is better than EWR.
I miss 90s Colorado. Such a great place to grow up. These damn Californians moving here with their insane progressive ideals really ruined this state.
Okay boomer
Bruh! Tell me about it! Luckily our population has finally decreased for the first time in decades after these Californians drove up rent to astronomical levels. They are now leaving to invade smaller cities like they always do. I feel bad for the small/medium cities they are moving to, but thankful they are leaving MY state.
@@worldbfr3e263u don't know what ur talking about. U probably weren't born long enough to even understand how great Denver used to be 20 years ago. Ignorance needs to shush please. This is a conversation for adults.
@@Gdub33
Not All old is Gold... plenty of duds in every generation. Check your pride at the door, cause it'll only make you look a fool in hindsight
@@Gazlene420 I was responding to the dude who said ok boomer. I agree with the OP. Why are you here complaining to me?
Anytime some teen thinks they understand something better than the people who have decades more life experience they so "ok boomer". Like I said, I bet that kid isn't even in his 20's or grew up here in the 90s.