{"id":1435,"date":"2026-06-09T21:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T21:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1435"},"modified":"2026-06-09T21:35:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T21:35:00","slug":"dia-expands-shopping-and-food-options-in-bid-to-get-travelers-to-spend-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1435","title":{"rendered":"DIA expands shopping and food options in bid to get travelers to spend more"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…<\/strong><\/div>\n
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When the Denver International Airport\u2018s $2.1 billion Great Hall with its \u201cliving room\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump plans to skip Knicks Game 4 of NBA Finals at MSG<\/a><\/p>\n

Travelers also will be targets of an airport-wide digital advertising program run by a France-based contractor, JCDecaux, that presents a shifting mix of ads selling global brand products and items unique to Colorado.\u00a0 Airport officials plan to revive their erratic $30 million Pe\u00f1a Boulevard bright-lights billboard \u2014 and widen it \u2014 under a proposed 10-year deal that would bring DIA $184 million.<\/p>\n

The focus on places to shop and eat \u2014 shopping and food outlets will increase from 200 to 240 \u2014 is part of a strategic shift over the past five years to maximize non-aeronautical by getting travelers to spend more.<\/p>\n

To that end, DIA designers have increased seating close to shops in the terminal and the three concourses.<\/p>\n

Airport planners track the average amount travelers spend before boarding planes \u2014 $16.13 in 2025, up from $13.91 in 2022, according to a concessions 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are under-concessioned at the airport for the passenger numbers we are seeing right now,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

The growth of beyond its original capacity of 50 million has thrown the balance of travelers to retail shops and food sellers \u201cout of whack,\u201d Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said. It means \u201cthe line for Chick-fil-A is three times as long,\u201d Johnston said. \u201cYou walk by. \u2018Gosh, I am hungry.\u2019 But with another 15 minutes to wait in line, \u2018I am not going to stop.\u2019 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

White tent transformed<\/h4>\n

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\u2019s renovation, hailing its living room hangout and meeting hub features: couches for adults, and pads for children to play on, beneath a massive sculptural \u201ccottonwood tree\u201d lit with reflective crystals, 60 feet tall and 70 feet wide.<\/p>\n

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But the Great Hall will also hold about 10 new retail shops and food concessions, including stores selling \u201ctravel convenience\u201d items, at least two casual dining restaurants with bars, a cafe, and multiple quick-service food concessions \u2014 a change for the main terminal.<\/p>\n

Commercial operations in the Great Hall will cover 22,000 square feet, airport spokeswoman Courtney Law said. The Great Hall project added 31,000 square feet to the main terminal, airport documents show. DIA\u2019s commercial expansion also includes an additional 15,000 square feet of new commercial space in the concourses.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

For travelers moving past shops, DIA also has set up 40 \u201ckiosks,\u201d including pop-up shops and vending machines, where local small businesses sell products such as socks, soft underwear, and candy.<\/p>\n

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Dwell time<\/h4>\n

\u201cWe want people to dwell,\u201d said Chris Herndon, DIA\u2019s chief commercial officer and a former Denver City Council member.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen 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,\u201d Herndon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we\u2019re 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

DIA\u2019s revenues come from airlines\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

There should be limits, said Kristen Schatz, spokeswoman for the CoPIRG consumer advocacy organization in Colorado. \u201cWe should be more focused on the quality of our lives than on the quantity of stuff we produce and consume. Travelers shouldn\u2019t feel pressured to buy anything they weren\u2019t planning to buy or don\u2019t need,\u201d Schatz said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRevenues to keep everything viable\u201d<\/h4>\n

Denver city councilman Kevin Flynn said increased food concessions will meet travelers\u2019 needs. \u201cI would not want to go to an airport where my only choice is McDonald\u2019s or Chick-fil-A.\u201d<\/p>\n

The airport\u2019s new digital ads program will lead to \u201cdecluttering,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo maximize airport revenue by having more ads is good. We have an obligation to maximize revenue to keep everything viable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more University of Denver to close departments, merge schools as part of academic restructuring<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Denver International Airport officials are expanding commerce, adding retail shopping and food concessions, and launching an airport-wide digital ad program, in an effort to boost revenue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colorado-news","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nDIA expands shopping and food options in bid to get travelers to spend more - Colorado Springs Moverss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1435\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DIA expands shopping and food options in bid to get travelers to spend more - 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