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.

A total of 5,109,342 passengers were recorded at Denver International Airport in July, a 2.2 percent increase from the 5,000,505 travelers who used the airport during the same month last year. This marks DIA’s busiest month in history and bucks the trend of declining passenger numbers that started last fall. This is only the second time in history that monthly traffic at DIA has topped the 5 million mark.

“This is certainly good news for Denver International Airport,” Aviation Manager Kim Day said Tuesday. “We’ve been seeing our numbers drop since last October and it is refreshing to see them headed in a different direction. Although we still anticipate finishing 2009 down overall, I think that this is an encouraging sign and certainly a reflection on how strong the Denver air travel market really is.”

July 2008 was previously the busiest month on record at DIA.

The Final Environmental Impact Statement for RTD’s FasTracks East Corridor commuter train to Denver International Airport is available for public viewing and comment prior to public hearings scheduled for later this month.

If the Federal Transit Administration approves the findings afterward, RTD would be able to move the 22.8-mile heavy-rail electrified train corridor into final design and toward construction. But don’t expect it to happen right away, because the East Corridor is one of the two FasTracks train commuter train projects that RTD is packaging into one in an attempt to solicit private investors and save money. That process is underway, and the request for proposals is expected to go out at the end of September.

The East Corridor isn’t the longest in FasTracks – that distinction belongs to the Northwest Rail Corridor to Westminster, Broomfield, Boulder and Longmont at 41 miles. But the East Corridor is the most expensive of the 10 FasTracks rapid transit corridors, at more than $1.64 billion.