When the ‘s $2.1 billion Great Hall with its “living room” opens next year, travelers will be surrounded by new shopping, dining, and quick-food concessions in the white-tented main terminal that, for decades, featured flights as the primary focus.
Travelers also will be targets of an airport-wide digital advertising program run by a France-based contractor, , that presents a shifting mix of ads selling global brand products and items unique to Colorado. Airport officials plan to revive their erratic $30 million Peña Boulevard bright-lights billboard — and widen it — under a proposed 10-year deal that would bring DIA $184 million.
The focus on places to shop and eat — shopping and food outlets will increase from 200 to 240 — is part of a strategic shift over the past five years to maximize non-aeronautical by getting travelers to spend more.
To that end, DIA designers have increased seating close to shops in the terminal and the three concourses.
Airport planners track the average amount travelers spend before boarding planes — $16.13 in 2025, up from $13.91 in 2022, according to a master plan. DIA leaders have set a target of $690 million in gross sales this year, up from the record $650 milion last year, $590 million in 2024, and $539 million in 2023.
“We are under-concessioned at the airport for the passenger numbers we are seeing right now,” DIA chief executive Phil Washington said, referring to airport projections that the annual 82.4 million travelers will increase to 100 million within a couple of years and hit 120 million by 2045.
The growth of beyond its original capacity of 50 million has thrown the balance of travelers to retail shops and food sellers “out of whack,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said. It means “the line for Chick-fil-A is three times as long,” Johnston said. “You walk by. ‘Gosh, I am hungry.’ But with another 15 minutes to wait in line, ‘I am not going to stop.’ The more of those concessions stops we have, the more people can feel they can grab a quick bite to eat on their way to the plane.”
White tent transformed
As the construction that has disrupted DIA since 2018 nears completion, airport leaders are preparing for the 2027 opening of the Great Hall, the centerpiece of DIA’s renovation, hailing its living room hangout and meeting hub features: couches for adults, and pads for children to play on, beneath a massive sculptural “cottonwood tree” lit with reflective crystals, 60 feet tall and 70 feet wide.
But the Great Hall will also hold about 10 new retail shops and food concessions, including stores selling “travel convenience” items, at least two casual dining restaurants with bars, a cafe, and multiple quick-service food concessions — a change for the main terminal.
Commercial operations in the Great Hall will cover 22,000 square feet, airport spokeswoman Courtney Law said. The added 31,000 square feet to the main terminal, airport documents show. DIA’s commercial expansion also includes an additional 15,000 square feet of new commercial space in the concourses.
The airport has a policy of reasonable pricing in the retail shops and food concessions, restricting markups to no more than 15% higher than prices of the items sold outside of the airport. Law said that the policy will be enforced.
For travelers moving past shops, DIA also has set up 40 “kiosks,” including pop-up shops and vending machines, where local small businesses sell products such as socks, soft underwear, and candy.
Dwell time
“We want people to dwell,” said Chris Herndon, DIA’s chief commercial officer and a former Denver City Council member.
“When you come up the escalator off the train, you feel kind of still rushed to get to your gate. We want to create the sense that passengers can just linger. We want to make people calmer, more at ease, so that they are more measured and relaxed,” Herndon said.
“If we’re able to do it, it means less charges for our airline partners, and Denver can be a more profitable destination. Being able to drive concessions revenues higher benefits the airport overall,” he said.
ٱ’s come from airlines’ landing fees, parking, and concessions. The money generated from the retail shopping and food concessions flows back to DIA to help support airport operations. Major airlines at DIA receive a share of concession revenue.
There should be limits, said Kristen Schatz, spokeswoman for the consumer advocacy organization in Colorado. “We should be more focused on the quality of our lives than on the quantity of stuff we produce and consume. Travelers shouldn’t feel pressured to buy anything they weren’t planning to buy or don’t need,” Schatz said.
“An airport shop can be great if you absolutely need a snack or a charging cable that you forgot at home, though you can expect those items will be considerably higher in price and perhaps not as high quality as those purchased elsewhere. Revenues at airports may be better spent on safety-related infrastructure than on building out more ways to lure travelers into spending their money and buying more stuff.”
“Revenues to keep everything viable”
said increased food concessions will meet travelers’ needs. “I would not want to go to an airport where my only choice is McDonald’s or Chick-fil-A.”
The airport’s new digital ads program will lead to “decluttering,” by separating ads from directional signs at the baggage carousels, where travelers have complained of distraction, and by reducing the overall number of signs, Flynn said.
“To maximize airport revenue by having more ads is good. We have an obligation to maximize revenue to keep everything viable.”
