Hometown Super Bowl Airports in Denver, Seattle Share Passion for Teams

A Joint Release from Denver International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

DENVER AND SEATTLE — Jan. 31, 2014 — In the week leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII, the hometown airports of the Denver Broncos, Denver International Airport (DIA), and the Seattle Seahawks, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, have used social media to engage in a spirited pre-game debate about which airport better represents their home team. But, the truth is, both airports are world-class facilities that share a passion for supporting their team, city and traveling fans. Both airports are extremely proud to serve their respective NFL team each season, and the millions of people who fly to see them play. And, while only one airport will be the first to welcome this year’s Super Bowl champions home, we would like to share some of the interesting facts behind the facilities that help the Broncos and Seahawks safely travel the country every year.

Denver International Airport

• Opened on Feb. 28, 1995
• Ranked 5th busiest airport in the U.S., and the 13th busiest in the world
• Located 23 miles northeast of downtown Denver
• Elevation: 5,431 feet above sea level
• Size: 34,000 acres, or 53 square miles
• The Jeppesen Terminal has more than 1.5 million square feet of space, and the iconic tent roof is made of a Teflon-coated fiberglass material that is as thin as a credit card
• DIA has six runways: Five are 12,000 feet long and the sixth is 16,000 feet long
• The passenger bridge between the Jeppesen Terminal and Concourse A is 365 feet long, weighs 3,300 tons and the bottom of the bridge is 45.61 feet above the taxiway pavement at the highest point
• DIA’s 327-foot FAA control tower is one of the tallest in North America – there are 548 stairs from ground level to the top and the average walking time is 20 minutes
• DIA’s FAA tower is engineered to sway only one-half inch in an 86-mile-per-hour wind
• A quarry in Marble, Colorado, supplied the white marble used on areas of the terminal walls – the stone is from the same quarry that supplied marble for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Lincoln Memorial
• The four busiest airports in the United States – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles International, and Dallas Fort Worth – could all fit into DIA’s 53-square miles of land
• DIA is one of the world’s greenest airports: it has one of the largest solar farms at a commercial airport in the United States, stateof-the-art aircraft deicing fluid collection systems, and was the first international airport in the U.S. to have its Environmental Management System certified to ISO 14001 standards
• The airport contributes over $26 billion a year to Colorado’s economy
• DIA was one of the first airports in the United States to integrate art into public spaces, and the airport was recently named the “Best U.S. Airport for Art” by USA Today readers

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

• Opened on Sept. 1, 1947
• Ranked 15th busiest airport in the U.S., and 40th busiest in the world
• Located 17 miles south of downtown Seattle
• Elevation: 433 feet above sea level
• Size: 3,200 acres, or 3.4 square miles
• The terminal has more than 3.1 million square feet of space
• SEA’s three runways measure in at the following lengths: 11,901 feet, 9,426 feet, 8,500 feet
• Boeing set a record at SEA of the heaviest 747400 take-off at 980,000 pounds
• SEA’s FAA control tower is 263 feet
• Sea-Tac is largely an origination and destination airport; 73 percent of traffic either begins or ends at SEA
• Experience the City of Music at Sea-Tac showcases Northwest music through live performances, web radio player via free Wi-Fi, a mobile app, EMP Museum exhibit and overhead announcements and music by well-known artists such as Macklemore , Quincy Jones and Soundgarden
• Award winning environmental programs include recycling over 1,800 tons of material each year, centralized pre-conditioned air for parked aircraft, compressed natural gas taxi and ground transportation vehicles, purchasing ‘green’ energy, plus industry-leading stormwater management
• SEA was the first U.S. airport to hire a full-time wildlife biologist in 1977 and to develop an ecological approach to maintaining aviation safety and protecting wildlife
• The airport is at the forefront of avian radar research to prevent aircraft bird strikes, with the FAA and the University of Illinois beginning demonstration research on the airfield in 2007
• SEA has a regional economic impact of over $13.2 billion
• SEA has a museum-quality permanent art collection and rotating exhibits, plus a free, self-guided free art walk

Denver International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport join together in wishing the Broncos and the Seahawks the best of luck in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Denver International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. DEN is the primary economic engine for the state of Colorado, generating more than $36 billion for the region annually. For more information visit www.FlyDenver.com, check us out on YouTube and Instagram, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Sign up for DEN’s monthly newsletter Nonstop News.

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