United Airlines Celebrates 85 Years Serving Denver

United’s first Denver flight departed in May 1937

DENVER – May 16, 2022 – Yesterday, United Airlines celebrated 85 years serving Denver International Airport (DEN). United first inaugurated service to the Mile High City on May 15, 1937, and since that time has grown to be the airport’s largest carrier by number of destinations served, flights operated, seats offered and passengers carried. In 2021, United’s Denver hub became one of the largest in its network ranked by total flights.

“United Airlines is a vital partner in making Denver one of the most desirable and resilient cities in the world,” Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock said. “Over the last 85 years, United has provided thousands of jobs and helped Denver become a global competitor by connecting us to the world. Happy anniversary!”

United ranks as one of the largest private employers in metro Denver, employing over 7,000 aviation professionals. In addition to thousands of employees who support United’s day-to-day operations at DEN, Denver is home to United’s global Flight Training Center (FTC), the largest of its kind worldwide where pilots, flight attendants and maintenance personnel visit for training.

United offers Denver travelers nonstop access to more than 180 destinations worldwide, more than any other carrier at DEN. Domestically, United serves more than 160 destinations from DEN, connecting Denver nonstop to 45 U.S. states. Internationally, United is the only carrier to provide both transatlantic and transpacific service from Denver.

“United is committed to our growth in Denver, a city we are proud to call home,” said Matt Miller, United’s Vice President of Airport Operations in Denver. “As Denver’s largest airline, we are proud to connect the Mile High City to the world. We look forward to many more decades of service to our city and doing good within our community.”

This summer United is flying four daily flights to Europe – two to London-Heathrow (LHR), one to Frankfurt (FRA) and one to Munich (MUC) – more than any carrier in Denver history. And service to Tokyo-Narita (NRT), Denver’s only nonstop service to Asia, is tentatively scheduled to resume in late 2022 as demand for travel to the region continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, United is scheduled to provide service to 17 international destinations in nine countries from DEN in 2022.

“We have experienced tremendous growth over the last 85 years in large part due to United,” said DEN CEO Phil Washington. “As they move into their new gates later this year, we will continue to see an increase in flight options both domestically and internationally, helping DEN expand its global reach.”

In the last 30 years alone United has served more than 545 million passengers through DEN. Today United operates on approximately 70 gates at DEN; they will operate out of 90 gates when the Concourse Expansion Project is complete in 2024, more than any other carrier.

United is entrenched in our community and they support many local organizations, such as the Food Bank of the Rockies, the Denver Public Schools Foundation, Wings Over the Rockies, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado and many more. United’s shared purpose is “Connecting People. Uniting the World.”

In 2019, United and United Express carriers operated more than 1.7 million flights carrying more than 162 million customers. United has the most comprehensive route network among North American carriers, including U.S. mainland hubs in Denver, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

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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