Airline Weekly - Edward Russell
Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver are two of the biggest hub airports in the U.S. In fact, last year, they were the second and third busiest, respectively, after Atlanta.
That makes the fact that both expect double-digit passenger traffic growth this year all the more remarkable. It’s one thing for a small- or medium-sized airport, like booming Austin, to post such gains as the absolute number of additional fliers is far lower. But for big hubs to grow at that rate means millions more travelers must pass through their gates than the year before.
Both Donohue of DFW and Jaquith of Denver emphasized the need for high quality facilities and services for travelers. Both have been issues at airports across the country as traffic rebounded faster than expected straining facilities, and staffing shortages and supply chain backups delayed the reopening of many concessions. Those issues have eased this summer but, as a recent connection through Denver showed, the airport is still in the process of building out concessions in many of its newly opened gate areas.
