The average air fare out of Denver International Airport was lower in the first quarter this year than when DIA opened in 1995 – testimony to airline competition, cost containment by the city and what some call the “Southwest Effect.”
In fact, Denver is one of only four air travel markets among the top 85 on the country that had lower air fares than 14 years ago, according to figures compiled by the federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Only Richmond, Va., declined more in average plane ticket price than Denver over the same period.
The figures show that the average air fare in Denver in the first quarter this year, the latest period available, was 3.7 percent lower than in the first quarter of 1995. That was when Denver was preparing to transition to the new airport from Stapleton International Airport. DIA opened Feb. 28, 1995.
The national average air fare, by contrast, was 16 percent higher in the first quarter this year than in 1995.
Genetec Press Release
Genetec announced recently that Denver International Airport has selected Omnicast, Genetec’s advanced IP video surveillance solution, to secure its 53 square-mile facility.
Ranked the 10th busiest airport in the world in 2008 for passenger traffic by Airports Council International, DIA was looking to upgrade its outdated analog system to a newer and more advanced network-based solution that could evolve as newer technology emerged.
The entire system to date consists of 1,200 cameras and 12 archive servers that are expected to double in the next 18 months. Besides the airport protection and surveillance applications such as monitoring the facility, security checkpoints and passenger congestion throughout, they also intend to service external clients with the use of Omnicast. Currently, the Transportation Security Administration, airlines, airport operations, airport parking, Denver police department and Denver airport security, among others, all use video surveillance for a range of purposes.
To date, all our clients have been using their own systems from different organizations,” said Phil Medina, senior IT administrator for airport security at DIA. “Eventually, we will connect all cameras to the Omnicast system and offer it as a service to everyone.”
Some other features include the user-friendly interface, which would allow DIA to save time in training customers with all levels of experience, the multiple options to manage and store the video, as well as the watermarking options, which further protect the data.
Since DIA is also storing a lot of video recordings, it are able to reduce the amount of required storage using tools in Omnicast that efficiently optimize its bandwidth, such as multicasting and multi-streaming. The system’s open architecture contributed to additional flexibility, allowing DIA to preserve some initial investments including a storage area network, existing cameras and an access control system that will soon be fully integrated with Omnicast.
Apart from continually growing the system, there are still larger plans ahead for DIA and their new Omnicast solution, including integrations with video analytics and situational management software, as well as the introduction of a strengthened perimeter security program.
“DIA has really taken advantage of Omnicast’s unique capabilities by turning a typical large-scale airport application into one of the most cutting-edge deployments in the transportation industry,” says Danny Peleg, director of transportation market for Genetec. “We are glad to have been able to contribute to their pro-active security enhancements, as their efforts will certainly not go unnoticed.”
An outside study of the Erie Municipal Airport’s economic potential concluded that there are untapped opportunities to increase revenue, leading town leaders to make a controversial decision to nix an unused second runway, reports the Boulder Daily Camera.
The study, conducted by Boyd Group International for about $50,000, concluded that the airport “represents and enormous economic asset an opportunity to the town.”
Erie Mayor Andrew Moore said the study gives the town concrete ideas on how to make the airport self-supporting so it doesn’t need to be subsidized by the taxpayers — and how to potentially make it a revenue generator.
“It’s a major step forward to enable economic development at the airport,” he said.
But pilot Scott DeLuise, a member of the Erie Airport Economic Development Council, said the decision to remove the second runway is “ill advised and a knee jerk action.”
He said the town shouldn’t consider removing the runway until there`s a viable project proposed to build hangars — something he considers unlikely in a recession.
The Denver Post reports that the Federal Aviation Administration could cut off federal funding from Vance Brand Airport because the city’s plan to use a fence to hold back the prairie dog population is making the problem worse.
The FAA says birds of prey are roosting on the $12,700 fence and could prove hazardous to any flights in and out of the airport. They warn that if the prairie dogs are not removed, Vance Brand could be cut off from federal funding — a disaster for the facility.
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UPDATE: The RTD board Tuesday night approved the issuance of the Eagle P3 request for public-private partnership proposals, along with the increased stipends to the unsuccessful bidders and the $20 million payment to the winning bidder in the event RTD later cancels the project.
The vote was 14-0, with Director Bill James absent but sending a statement of support.
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RTD board members tonight will consider increasing the $1.75 million stipends it is offering to each of the three teams of bidders on the FasTracks lines to the airport and Arvada-Wheat Ridge, to $2.5 million each, to encourage them to stay in the chase for the innovative and risky public-private partnership.
That’s in addition to a new $20 million fee RTD will take up tonight to be paid to the winning team in the event it signs a deal with RTD and the transit district later backs out.
It is all part of a vote to release a request for proposals by the end of the month to the three teams.
The public-private partnership idea is part of RTD’s strategy for bringing down the upfront costs of FasTracks, now $2.2 billion underwater with expenses over finances if it wants to finish on the original schedule of 2017.
The winning private team would enter into a concession contract with RTD to provide significant private financing – up to $1 billion – plus a design-build project delivery approach similar to that used by RTD and CDOT on the successful T-REX highway-transit project, and then capped off with a 40-year operating and maintenance agreement with the private partner. Under the concession, the private team would receive annual payments from RTD in exchange for providing the system and operating it to RTD schedules and standards.
The Denver Post reports that a new aircraft surveillance system being rolled out at select mountain airports in Colorado promises to boost the capacity and efficiency of takeoffs and landings at airfields surrounded by rugged, often deadly, terrain.
On Sept. 12, air-traffic controllers started using the system for flights in and out of Craig, Steamboat Springs, Hayden and Rifle. They are among the first airports in the country to use technology called Wide Area Multilateration, or WAM, which allows controllers to “see” planes for the first time on radar displays when the aircraft are arriving and departing at airfields framed by high terrain.
Denver International Airport wants to pump its jet fuel to the planes without leaving a carbon footprint. The airport has struck a deal with a partnership of two renewable energy companies, one based in Denver, to construct a nine-acre, 1.6 megawatt solar generating facility at the north end of DIA. There, it will provide all of the electricity for the airport’s fuel farm located there. “We expect this project to reduce energy costs for our airline and cargo business partners over the 20-year term of the agreement,” Kim Day, Denver’s aviation manager, said today. “DIA has a widespread reputation as a ‘green’ airport, and this project is another example of our commitment to environmental responsibility.”
A Denver City Council committee today overwhelmingly recommended a project management contract Wednesday that could pay as much as $160 million for renovation of Denver International Airport,ncluding the possible closure of its Great Hall to all but ticketed passengers, reports the Denver Business Journal.
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