European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 24, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Daily Magazine Denver Stapleton International Airport is congested by far More traffic than it was designed to new York times photos Leaver and Salt Lake a tale of two airports by Iver Peterson United press International comparisons of the Rocky Mountain re Gions two main airports often provoke a polite Exchange of you can always Tell when it is snowing in businessmen in Salt Lake City be cause Salt lakes hotels fill up with stranded if Salt Lake City is looking for airline a Den verite Denver would be Happy to provide some be cause Stapleton International Airport in Denver already has far More business than it can comfortably there is truth in both comments in the unequal com petition for status and traffic Between one of nations rising giants in air and the comparatively Small but still game Salt Lake heavily congested by far More traffic than it was designed to has one of the worst records in the United states for runway closings and flight delays because of bad a result is that passengers trying to make connecting flights Are backed up in hotels in the biggest nearby Salt Lake Salt Lake International consistently wins prizes for the Way it copes with Adverse weather without seriously interrupting or slowing but one reason for its Success is by Denver it is not a very Busy Salt Lake City officials Are trying hard to change that by luring away some of Denver airports often stand As symbols of the City they but in the rapidly growing where distances Are reckoned in hundreds of the connection Between Good air serv ice and economic expansion is More in the Competition to attract the regions growing population the Rocky Mountain states expect an increase of nearly 80 percent from 1980 to the year 2000 cities that once fought to attract a Railroad terminal now com Pete to capture air airports Are probably the highest and most important priority companies have when they look for a place to said Bill vice president of the Denver chamber of in terms of economic whether you look at High tech or a Region Al Access to Good air transportation is certainly one of their most important to maintain Denver status As the regions transportation a status it has held since the railroads first came mayor Federico Pena recently announced plans for a new billion Airport to replace the aging Stapleton the new to be completed by will be situated on 17 Square Miles of land about 10 Miles from Stapleton and is expected to be a far cry from the Smoky congestion and seemingly endless hike from car to plane that passengers Are now forced to endure the new which has been agreed to by Denver and its suburban counties in principle will be second in size to the huge Dallas fort Worth regional Airport and will use underground like those at Atlanta new to shuttle passengers Between air planes and airline service at Denver and Salt Lake City has shown Sharp growth since the airlines were deregulated in the late particularly with most airlines adoption of the system of routing flights through a centrally situated City and funnelling passengers from outlying airports through that where passengers change planes to reach their in this Battle of the Denver has clearly won in the United Frontier and Continental air lines now use Stapleton As their and american airlines would have done the same had there been the growth that resulted has made Stapleton the nations sixth busiest Airport in passenger behind Chi Cagos Ohare Atlanta los Angeles Dallas Forth Worth and Kennedy International in new York and is the fourth bus Iest Airport in takeoffs and the crowding and Competition for space at Stapleton prompted Western which is based in los an to choose Salt Lake City As its Rocky Mountain making Salt Lake International the nations 26th busiest this is still far behind Staple tons rank but it gave Salt Lake City the idea that it might gain even More from Denver certainly were in Competition with Denver we always have been and we probably always will said Louis director of operations at Salt Lake All of our marketing efforts Are aimed at convincing the Public that if you have to Fly and you have to make a you would do better to Stop in Salt there Are Miller that this approach is working and that passengers who have a such As those in grand Are choosing Salt Lake City Over to lure new business and to accommodate Western air lines expansion at Salt Lake the Airport added a new concourse in 1981 and redid the rest in a modern slate accented with murals and in has undergone so Many Small alterations As it struggled to keep up with growth that officials there can provide Only an average 10 for the it is a noisy and its concourses have been so Smoky in recent years that the authorities recently instituted a nonsmoking we have a terminal designed to handle 14 to 18 million passengers a and were handling said Richard Staple tons operations we know we should have had a new air port 10 years but it want until mayor Pena came in that we were Able to we have a regional problem Here and not just a local in pushing for the new Boulware com petition was not Foremost in Denver we dont have time to worry about competing with Salt Lake or he right were doing All we can Patching this Leaky old Canoe until our new boat gets out of in the if Salt Lake City wants to continue trying to lure some of Denver overflow that is All right with if some airline drops out and shifts its base to Salt Lake he my response is that it would probably take us 30 seconds to get another plane into the crowding at Stapleton led to plans for a new Denver Salt Lake International wants to seize the Stapleton april 1985 the stars and stripes Page 13