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Best (or least worst) Airline to Fly AUS - DEN regularly

hornian

By hornian
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hornian

hornian 5223

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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 by hornian
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royiv

royiv 9363

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Posted
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.

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Captain Ron

Captain Ron 12924

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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). 

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6th Street

6th Street 6508

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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. 

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hornian

hornian 5223

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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?

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Chopper

Chopper 17267

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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.

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52-80

52-80 19258

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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…

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royiv

royiv 9363

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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.

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Guest

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Posted (edited)
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.

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Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock 7376

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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.
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Aqua Buddha

Aqua Buddha 14621

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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?

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Chopper

Chopper 17267

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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).

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royiv

royiv 9363

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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.

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hornian

hornian 5223

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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. 🙃

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Cap33

Cap33 393

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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.

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Aqua Buddha

Aqua Buddha 14621

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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.

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Chopper

Chopper 17267

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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.

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Chewbacca

Chewbacca 7787

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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.
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mchookem

mchookem 16392

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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!

 

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CooterBrown

CooterBrown 18031

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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.

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Chopper

Chopper 17267

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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.

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Guest

Guest

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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.

 

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PilotsError

PilotsError 2323

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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!  

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Chewbacca

Chewbacca 7787

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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.

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Ghost of LL

Ghost of LL 15541

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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.

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Aqua Buddha

Aqua Buddha 14621

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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.

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