September 28, 20232 yr I may need to relocate my family to the Denver area in the next couple of years, but I would continue to work in Austin. If that comes to pass, I'd be flying from Denver to Austin at the beginning of the week, and for Austin to Denver at the end of the week probably 40 times a year. We have been SWA flyers for the past decade or so, but the experience with SWA is wearing thin - I've had a lot of delays on recent trips, the pre boarding abuses (google Jetway Jesus if you want a chuckle), and a general decline in customer service. I know there are a lot of Tex-pats who live in Colorado on this board, so I thought this would be a good place to ask. Which airline is the best for this type of travel? Bonus points if it would earn me a status that makes the inevitable delays in the airports more tolerable and maybe work my way into more comfortable seats on many trips, and/or could be used for international trips with the family. I'm not averse to credit card hacks as well, as I usually run all my expenses through one primary card for points/rewards anyway. What says the surly travel connoisseurs? Edited September 28, 20232 yr by hornian
September 28, 20232 yr The real issue is the Denver airport. It is consistently in a state of general fuckery and the weather is not ideal for flying quite often. Get ready to hate it.
September 28, 20232 yr Author 11 minutes ago, huge said: The real issue is the Denver airport. It is consistently in a state of general fuckery and the weather is not ideal for flying quite often. Get ready to hate it. Which is why I want a club to access. So not SWA.
September 28, 20232 yr 6 minutes ago, hornian said: Which is why I want a club to access. So not SWA. 100% Figure out an option that includes a lounge. There is a Centurion there.
September 28, 20232 yr Usually fly United and have never had any issues. Multiple non stop flights per day.
September 28, 20232 yr 1 hour ago, hornian said: I may need to relocate my family to the Denver area in the next couple of years, but I would continue to work in Austin. If that comes to pass, I'd be flying from Denver to Austin at the beginning of the week, and for Austin to Denver at the end of the week probably 40 times a year. We have been SWA flyers for the past decade or so, but the experience with SWA is wearing thin - I've had a lot of delays on recent trips, the pre boarding abuses (google Jetway Jesus if you want a chuckle), and a general decline in customer service. I know there are a lot of Tex-pats who live in Colorado on this board, so I thought this would be a good place to ask. Which airline is the best for this type of travel? Bonus points if it would earn me a status that makes the inevitable delays in the airports more tolerable and maybe work my way into more comfortable seats on many trips, and/or could be used for international trips with the family. I'm not averse to credit card hacks as well, as I usually run all my expenses through one primary card for points/rewards anyway. What says the surly travel connoisseurs? Unless you want to connect, your options are United or United.
September 28, 20232 yr United just opened 2 new clubs at DEN within the past couple weeks. Construction took forever. https://onemileatatime.com/news/united-club-denver/ They have multiple flights a day b/w DEN and AUS. Edited September 28, 20232 yr by Chopper deleted incorrect concourse info
September 28, 20232 yr 33 minutes ago, HenryJames said: Usually fly United and have never had any issues. Multiple non stop flights per day. Wow that’s a lot of flying
September 28, 20232 yr 26 minutes ago, HenryJames said: Usually fly United and have never had any issues. Multiple non stop flights per day. 17 minutes ago, royiv said: Unless you want to connect, your options are United or United. This is pretty much it right here. I was planning my thanksgiving flights when I saw this and punched up that flight into Expedia for kicks - this is your only direct flight (well there is Frontier).
September 28, 20232 yr The airport is probably the worst thing about living here in Denver. It's located in the middle of nowhere, takes 10 miles to get to even after exiting the 70, and poor layout with central hall and the train. As someone mentioned your choices are limited to United and Southwest. I use SWA a lot simply because they offer a ton of nonstop routes and occasionally better times and prices than UA. The AMEX Centurion lounge is located in the Southwest C-gates and always crowded. I've seen lines down the stairs and onto the concourse But if you're spending a bunch of time at DIA you're probably doing it wrong by arriving too early anyway.
September 28, 20232 yr I’ve been in some massive security checkpoint lines at DIA. That much travel and I hope you’d get a prescreen service or whatever anyway but definitely for denver.
September 28, 20232 yr Author 6 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said: I’ve been in some massive security checkpoint lines at DIA. That much travel and I hope you’d get a prescreen service or whatever anyway but definitely for denver. I have Clear. I will get TSA Precheck and/or Global Entry if I make the move. Alright, United it is then. Follow up question - what would be the best United credit card to move most of my spending to to maximize miles/points/status?
September 28, 20232 yr 57 minutes ago, hornian said: Which is why I want a club to access. So not SWA. 16 minutes ago, 6th Street said: But if you're spending a bunch of time at DIA you're probably doing it wrong by arriving too early anyway. Counterpoint. Some people spend half their day working remotely at a coffee shop and a nice airport lounge is an upgrade. You can get shit done. You can also chill or take a long walk, etc. I've come to the conclusion that, at least for me, the extra anxiety that comes with cutting it close at the airport can get old, and Denver traffic is rarely predictable especially coming from Fort Collins. Anyway the United Infinite card is the best for UA club access. It reimburses for a Global Entry or Known Traveller. If you fly frequently enough to earn status the current perks from either Premier Platinum or Premier 1K are pretty nice. https://thepointsguy.com/guide/what-is-united-elite-status-worth If you've been following the news loyalty perks are being cut back in the industry (mainly Delta) but haven't hit United.
September 28, 20232 yr Did DEN morph into something else recently? Used to be the best airport of its size by a mountain mile. I lived downtown and it usually took me 25 minutes door to door from home to airport entrance, or 35 minutes on the shuttle, and then later the train took same time. Main terminal hall is symmetric and logical, easy departure or arrival. Decent eating too. Been a minute but that place was great…
September 28, 20232 yr 13 minutes ago, 52-80 said: Did DEN morph into something else recently? Used to be the best airport of its size by a mountain mile. I lived downtown and it usually took me 25 minutes door to door from home to airport entrance, or 35 minutes on the shuttle, and then later the train took same time. Main terminal hall is symmetric and logical, easy departure or arrival. Decent eating too. Been a minute but that place was great… It's been under massive construction for a decade. Security lines are awful around United and Southwest's banks. The restrooms are worse than a NYC subway restroom. The train is overcrowded and subject to random breakdown at peak times. In short, that airport is a poorly managed shit show.
September 28, 20232 yr I've never had any issues with the airport itself, but Denver traffic has gotten a lot worse.
September 28, 20232 yr 5 hours ago, huge said: The real issue is the Denver airport. It is consistently in a state of general fuckery and the weather is not ideal for flying quite often. Get ready to hate it. It’s also about 100 miles from Denver. I kid, I kid… barely. The dipshits clogging up 2 lane traffic on Peña by pacing the left lane off of right hand lane traffic should be shot in public, maybe off the cliffs at Casa Bonita. Edited September 28, 20232 yr by slorch
September 28, 20232 yr Did DEN morph into something else recently? Used to be the best airport of its size by a mountain mile. I lived downtown and it usually took me 25 minutes door to door from home to airport entrance, or 35 minutes on the shuttle, and then later the train took same time. Main terminal hall is symmetric and logical, easy departure or arrival. Decent eating too. Been a minute but that place was great…I fly into Denver 4-8 times a year for work south of Co Springs. Since I'm federally funded they choose the cheapest route, which is 99% of the time Denver and not Springs. After this last time a couple weeks ago I used my own personal SWA points to fly direct into COS for my next trip at the end of October. I love Denver, but that airport and the lizard people that run it can fuck right off.
September 28, 20232 yr 3 hours ago, royiv said: It's been under massive construction for a decade. Security lines are awful around United and Southwest's banks. The restrooms are worse than a NYC subway restroom. The train is overcrowded and subject to random breakdown at peak times. In short, that airport is a poorly managed shit show. It’s because they’re upgrading the under ground bunker for the HQ of the New World Order, right?
September 28, 20232 yr They're in the early stages of planning a massive road improvement project at DEN. It's far overdue. Really horrible traffic flow and signage imo. But if you're coming from Fort Collins or Loveland there's a fancy new executive coach that allows you to check airline luggage all the way through (if you're flying on United).
September 29, 20232 yr 2 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said: It’s because they’re upgrading the under ground bunker for the HQ of the New World Order, right? Obviously. 1 hour ago, Chopper said: They're in the early stages of planning a massive road improvement project at DEN. It's far overdue. Really horrible traffic flow and signage imo. But if you're coming from Fort Collins or Loveland there's a fancy new executive coach that allows you to check airline luggage all the way through (if you're flying on United). That will go great given DIA's track record for completing projects on-time and on budget.
September 29, 20232 yr Direct, direct, direct, direct. Not sure how many Aus-Den a day there are but a 1000% better than connection. Worst case you can do IAH-DEN. Connections are the worst case waiting to happen.
September 29, 20232 yr I looked at direct Austin-Denver flights on February 2nd (just picked a random date) and Southwest had 8 with the earliest at 5:50am and latest at 9:55pm. United only had 4 direct flights; earliest at 7:30 and latest at 4:50pm.
September 29, 20232 yr Author 13 minutes ago, Firemans4Horn said: I looked at direct Austin-Denver flights on February 2nd (just picked a random date) and Southwest had 8 with the earliest at 5:50am and latest at 9:55pm. United only had 4 direct flights; earliest at 7:30 and latest at 4:50pm. Now compare the Southwest Club to the United Club for me. 🙃
September 29, 20232 yr 5 hours ago, slorch said: It’s also about 100 miles from Denver. I kid, I kid… barely. We fly in/out of Denver twice a year. Every time we're on our back to to DIA, I wonder what family fleeced the government by selling off a bunch of worthless land. And I'm equally amazed that Pena isn't shut down nightly with accidents because the lighting and signage is so bad. Holy hell, I hate that airport. The kids always bitch about the SWA terminal not having a Chik-Fil-A, and I refuse to get on that stupid tram for any extra trips.
September 29, 20232 yr Capital One is opening a new lounge at DIA shortly. The Venture X will get you in for sure. Dunno about other card levels.
September 29, 20232 yr 3 hours ago, Cap33 said: We fly in/out of Denver twice a year. Every time we're on our back to to DIA, I wonder what family fleeced the government by selling off a bunch of worthless land. And I'm equally amazed that Pena isn't shut down nightly with accidents because the lighting and signage is so bad. Holy hell, I hate that airport. The kids always bitch about the SWA terminal not having a Chik-Fil-A, and I refuse to get on that stupid tram for any extra trips. The name is….Peña. The name of the road answered your own question. Fly United on this and build status. Their international network is top shelf.
September 29, 20232 yr 13 hours ago, Cap33 said: We fly in/out of Denver twice a year. Every time we're on our back to to DIA, I wonder what family fleeced the government by selling off a bunch of worthless land. And I'm equally amazed that Pena isn't shut down nightly with accidents because the lighting and signage is so bad. Holy hell, I hate that airport. The kids always bitch about the SWA terminal not having a Chik-Fil-A, and I refuse to get on that stupid tram for any extra trips. United owns a good portion of the vacant land around the airport and they just announced plans to build a massive "something" on part of it. Details to come. I'm not sure if this is widely known outside of Denver so I'll tell it here. It's a funny thing about the old airport, Stapleton. A large neighborhood was built on it, and called Stapleton. The first residents moved there in 2004 but as more families moved into the massive new Stapleton neighborhood, more people began to think that naming the neighborhood after a KKK member was inappropriate, even if he had been a former Denver mayor. The name changed in 2020 and it's now called Central Park. 13 hours ago, Firemans4Horn said: I looked at direct Austin-Denver flights on February 2nd (just picked a random date) and Southwest had 8 with the earliest at 5:50am and latest at 9:55pm. United only had 4 direct flights; earliest at 7:30 and latest at 4:50pm. United's website shows 4 directs on 2/2, with the latest at 8:31. However on 12/1 they have 5 directs. I haven't heard they're cutting back but it's possibly a temporary change to redeploy an aircraft elsewhere. For example there's 5 directs back on the schedule on 3/1 but I didn't pinpoint the precise date it changes.
September 29, 20232 yr 4 minutes ago, Chopper said: The name changed in 2020 and it's now called Central Park. The Mueller of Denver.
September 30, 20232 yr The real issue is the Denver airport. It is consistently in a state of general fuckery and the weather is not ideal for flying quite often. Get ready to hate it.I live here and don't get the hate. DEN is usually in much better shape than AUS.@hornian the answer is United. Fuck SWA and Frontier.
September 30, 20232 yr 100% Figure out an option that includes a lounge. There is a Centurion there.Yep, Centurion is in DEN. Not great, but not bad.
September 30, 20232 yr Did DEN morph into something else recently? Used to be the best airport of its size by a mountain mile. I lived downtown and it usually took me 25 minutes door to door from home to airport entrance, or 35 minutes on the shuttle, and then later the train took same time. Main terminal hall is symmetric and logical, easy departure or arrival. Decent eating too. Been a minute but that place was great…It is still good, but had been under construction for almost as long as IAH. Other than that is still easy in, easy out.
September 30, 20232 yr we recently figured out the RTD A-line train station is an $8 Uber ride from our house, then a 22 minute stress free ride straight to the terminal... now that is cool. echoing the United recs... flown half a dozen times since we've been here, not a single issue. security can be tricky though...once the line seemed half a mile long and it took 45 minutes...other times it literally took 4 minutes. also, passenger pick up is a mess but we figured out to tell people to go upstairs to drop off, there's never a crowd there. they are a LOT more lax on security with cars waiting as well... there always seem to be dozens of cars pulled over to the shoulder of the road leading into pickup area, parked and waiting. that was weird to see the first time, being so used to ABIA not letting you sit for even 30 seconds!
October 1, 20232 yr I haven’t flown through DIA in a few months but there was a rumor they were adding those new scanners you just walk through without removing anything from your pockets like at Q2 stadium. Has that happened? That will make any line move very quickly. This summer the Pre Check line was probably 200 deep and it was just 5 minutes. They’re pretty efficient there.
October 4, 20232 yr They're working on a new security area to be located between the existing north & south security areas at the Denver airport. The new United lounge near Gate B44 is nice and had a full breakfast buffet including a couple egg choices, several options for fresh fruit, and a bunch of bakery stuff, as well. Bar is open for business. Security wasn't bad on a Wednesday around 7:30 am. I have Clear+ and TSA pre and I don't think it made much of a difference in terms of time getting through. Not this morning anyway. They've apparently sold a lot of Clear+ in Denver or perhaps just have a lot of free trials going on. The UA customer service agent in the lounge was much more helpful than what was available at the check-in area, as you'd expect, but so far I've only seen one customer service station in this lounge. No sign of any new scanners at security but maybe those will come when the construction on the new checkpoint is complete in 2024. Have done a lot of walking. My back is angry with me for bringing a backpack instead of a rolling carry-on. Dumb mistake.
October 4, 20232 yr So the talk about the airline clubs/lounges. Am I missing something here? Is this for in case there is a delay? My flying involves trying to figure the least amount of time I can spend in the airport and still give myself a few minutes just in case. If I'm through security with more than 30 minutes before boarding, I feel like I messed up.
October 4, 20232 yr 14 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said: So the talk about the airline clubs/lounges. Am I missing something here? Is this for in case there is a delay? My flying involves trying to figure the least amount of time I can spend in the airport and still give myself a few minutes just in case. If I'm through security with more than 30 minutes before boarding, I feel like I messed up. nah you’re just cool to wait even five minutes bro!
October 4, 20232 yr 2 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said: So the talk about the airline clubs/lounges. Am I missing something here? Is this for in case there is a delay? My flying involves trying to figure the least amount of time I can spend in the airport and still give myself a few minutes just in case. If I'm through security with more than 30 minutes before boarding, I feel like I messed up. Yep. Only reason I've ever been in a lounge in DIA is due to delays (my last flight to IAH they gave us a 3 hour maintenance delay just as we were about to board, so I went and checked out the Centurion lounge). Otherwise, I prefer to show up, get on the plane and leave.
October 5, 20232 yr 21 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said: So the talk about the airline clubs/lounges. Am I missing something here? Is this for in case there is a delay? My flying involves trying to figure the least amount of time I can spend in the airport and still give myself a few minutes just in case. If I'm through security with more than 30 minutes before boarding, I feel like I messed up. Delays and irregular operations. If there is a cancelation, you can go up to the club and the staff there will help you with rebooking. It beats the hell out of dealing with a frazzled gate agent after waiting in line for a half-hour (or sitting on hold with the reservations line). And then after the staff helps you with rebooking, you can sit at the bar and have a complimentary martini. So that's nice.
October 5, 20232 yr 3 hours ago, Ghost of LL said: Delays and irregular operations. If there is a cancelation, you can go up to the club and the staff there will help you with rebooking. It beats the hell out of dealing with a frazzled gate agent after waiting in line for a half-hour (or sitting on hold with the reservations line). And then after the staff helps you with rebooking, you can sit at the bar and have a complimentary martini. So that's nice. On 10/4/2023 at 10:54 AM, FirstTimeCaller said: So the talk about the airline clubs/lounges. Am I missing something here? Is this for in case there is a delay? My flying involves trying to figure the least amount of time I can spend in the airport and still give myself a few minutes just in case. If I'm through security with more than 30 minutes before boarding, I feel like I messed up. Yeah, these two. I'm EP on AA and for years, Citibank has been trying to pitch me on a card upgrade that carriers permanent lounge access or something. I always think aout it but I'm always pressed for a connection so I don't have time to wait 30 minutes in line at the Admirals Club. (They need to cull the herd on that.) We were in PDX last week and the line for the Centurion Lounge was at least 30 deep and it was in the regional terminal for God's sake. If I have time to kill, I find the best restaurant at that airport but to LL's point, you can get help with booking but the app has always been good to me so there's that.
October 5, 20232 yr 22 hours ago, Chewbacca said: Otherwise, I prefer to show up, get on the plane and leave.
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