Where passengers board planes at Denver International Airport could change dramatically depending on Frontier Airlines’ future and talks between members of a major airline network.
That DIA’s gate use and lease agreements with airlines except United expire next year — United’s lease agreements expire in 2025 — further affects the situation.
“No decisions have been made yet,” said Patrick Heck, DIA’s deputy manager for business development.
Frontier, which has 17 gates on Concourse A, is the focus of a potential bankruptcy bidding war between Republic Airways Holdings and Southwest Airlines.
Republic flies regional jets in and out of DIA for other airlines. Southwest has several of its own gates.
Republic has offered $108.7 million for Frontier, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2008.
On Thursday, Southwest, which has 10 leased gates and use of another at DIA, submitted a nonbinding bid of $113.6 million.
The high bidder not only wins Frontier but its gates as well.
With leases set to expire, “there may be an alignment of the stars,” Southwest executive vice president Bob Jordan said.
If Southwest wins Frontier’s hand, “at some point, we would hope for some efficiencies you could gain by consolidating things” on one concourse, Jordan said.
Partners in the global airline network Star Alliance — which offers passengers “seamless” travel between airlines — are talking about relocating to Concourse B, where member United Airlines dominates.
Star Alliance member US Airways has two Concourse C gates and Air Canada has one gate on Concourse A. Continental, which recently received U.S. Department of Transportation approval to join Star Alliance in October, also has a gate on Concourse A.
DIA’s Heck said airline alliances try to co-locate, and “it wouldn’t surprise me to see some discussions happening here.”
Ann Schrader: 303-954-1967 or aschrader@denverpost.com
