DIA – Denver Airport Transportation

The Denver International Airport [DEN] is an expert in transportation and creating a positive travel experience. Catching a flight to Denver, Colorado, and onto your final destination is easy and fun. Flying in or driving into DIA, with the tent-scape horizon line against the Rocky Mountains and Blucifer, the welcoming big-blue rearing Mustang is captivating. The surreal landscape and airport experience at DIA provides a glimpse into the wonders of Colorado.

Suppose your final destination is one of Colorado’s resort towns or smaller communities. Making your way through DIA is uncomplicated and accommodating. There are various types of airport transportation to help out. Along the way, you will find every necessity and type of assistance to make your journey as easy as possible. The airport experience, restaurants, and shops will become part of your Colorado memorabilia.

Denver International Airport Transportation – Getting Around

Upon arrival, you will find that the airport is well-equipped with various ground transportation options:

• Wheelchairs and electric cart transportation.
• Escalators and moving walkways are found throughout the airport.
• Elevators are found in high-traffic areas throughout the airport.
• The Train to the Gates (or the Automated Guideway Transit System) connects Jeppesen Terminal to all three DEN concourses.
• The A-Line Train is a direct light rail train to downtown Denver, Union Station.
• Shuttle service carriers to mountain town ski resorts.

Jeppesen Terminal at DIA

Jeppesen Terminal, the recognizable white peaked roof structure, is the main public space and connects together all over aspects of the airport. This large 2.6 million square foot area includes ticketing, baggage claim, ground transportation, international arrivals, shops, restaurants, office areas, TSA checkpoints, and the automated underground train, which connects to all other terminals.

Airlines at DIA

Denver International Airport facilitates all US major airlines, major international airlines and smaller airlines to facilitate regional destinations. View the current list of airlines at DIA.

Parking at Denver International Airport

There are several choices of parking at Denver Airport. Long or short term, and what type of lot or garage are all choices available for parking. It’s best to plan ahead as parking often fills up.

Denver Airport Car Rentals

More than ten major car companies serve travelers at the airport. All car rental companies are located at the Jeppesen Terminal and provide shuttle service to and from the rental cars.

Colorado Resort Destinations

If your final destination is one of Colorado’s resort towns, then DIA has covered you. Whether you’re flying internationally or from another US state, most likely, you will make a connecting flight through DIA. Although Colorado’s small mountain towns and resorts all have airports nearby, for the most part, they are all serviced by commuter flights out of DIA.

Shuttle Services

If making a connecting flight to a ski resort town is not on your agenda. Mountain town shuttle service is available. These shuttles or mountain carriers provide pre-arranged, charter, and some on-demand service to many of Colorado’s ski resorts. Reservations are recommended.

All of these mountain shuttle carriers pick up and drop-off from Jeppesen Terminal Level 5, island 1, outside doors 511-513 (east side) and 504-506 (west side)

For a complete list of carriers and contact phone numbers, check here.

The DIA Experience

What is it like to go through Denver’s DIA Airport?

Natural light bathes the terminal’s interior via clerestory windows, curtain walls, and the translucent fabric roof. The terminal’s peaked roof has become well-known and admired by travelers worldwide. Going through Denver Airport is an eclectic experience mix of modern architecture, transportation, a throwback shopping mall, a food court, and cultural art exhibits. It’s a part of your travel you won’t forget.

Art Exhibits at DIA

Visitors are in for an extraordinary experience when they pass through Denver Airport. Artists worked with architects, designers, and construction companies early in the airport design process to create a seamless integration of art, architecture, and environment. The result is ongoing art exhibits, sculptures, murals, and installations that create one of the world’s most extensive airport art exhibit programs.

Denver International Airport’s exhibition program includes several venues with changing collections. A theme is developed for each exhibit from an artistic point of view and interpretation. Exhibits are changed frequently so travelers can anticipate new creative expressions to take in along their journey.

Dining and Shopping at DIA

Arriving at DIA with an appetite is a good thing. You will enjoy spending some time checking out various restaurants and bars. The airport hosts everything from fine wines, ales, truffles, tamales, smoothies, orange mochas, bison burgers, and hundreds of other edible and drinkable choices to satisfy your hunger and quench your thirst. The price range is from expensive sit-down dining with superb service and a refined atmosphere to grab’n-go buffets with cafeteria-style seating. Whether you are searching for an intriguing gift, a Colorado souvenir, or something to make your flight more comfortable. There are 50 shops at DIA to choose from. Explore the airport’s enticing boutiques, galleries, gift shops, and specialty stores.

More About Denver Airport

Denver Airport is an internationally recognized innovative airport. Renowned Airport designer Fentress Architects designed the identifiable peaked tent roof. The landscape of DIA  has a dual resemblance: one of Colorado’s snow-capped mountains and Colorado’s historical roots, the Native American teepees. Nomadic Native American Indians once roamed the great plains and dotted the landscape with groups of teepees. These two themes, combined with modern architecture, airport design, and ongoing art exhibits, make traveling through DIA an integrated experience of culture and air travel.

The American Institute of Architects survey ranked the airport 4th on its list of “Favorite American Architecture” landmarks. Business Traveler magazine readers voted Denver the “Best Airport in North America” from 2005 to 2008. Sky Trax has given DIA a 3-star Airport rating for facilities, terminal comfort, cleanliness, shopping, food & beverages, and staff services.

A-Line Train

DIA Rail Service to Downtown Denver

Why is Denver International Airport so far from downtown?

The Denver airport answered this call from the public and worked with the Denver Union Station to develop an A-line train service. In 2016, this new light rail was introduced, which connects travelers from DIA directly to downtown Denver.  For $10.50 and 37 minutes later, travelers are transported right into the heart of downtown Denver. Denver Union Station is the city’s transportation hub and the “living room,” thanks to its plush surroundings. From this location, travelers can access additional local and regional transportation services such as (future light rail systems that will provide transportation across the front range), Amtrak rail service, regional and local buses, taxis, the free 16th Street Mall shuttle (MallRide), and free downtown MetroRide buses, which access most hotels.

The Winter Park Express Train is a special Amtrak ski train that departs from Denver Union Station. This train provides direct service to Winter Park. Combine this train with the A-line train out of DIA and go directly to the slopes in Winter Park via your hometown airport.

by Kathleen Fitzsimmons