Denver: The Airport

If you're new to travel, you might find Denver Airport (airport code: DEN)  a little intimidating, but rest assured, you CAN do this.

Denver is the main domestic hub for United Airlines. It is also the main airport for regional airlines, Frontier and Great Lake Airlines.

Denver Airport is the largest international airport, in landmass, in the USA. It is the 6th busiest in the USA and handled 53 million passengers last year.

The casual traveller needs to know just a few things:

• there are moving sidewalks and a tram that will take you to/from the baggage claim areas. This is good. It's quite a distance.
• taxi fare from the airport to downtown is a flat rate of $55 and will take 30-40 minutes 
• shuttles (like SuperShuttle.com) will cost about $20-$25 per person and will add about 10 minutes to your trip downtown 
• there are numerous tornado shelters in this airport. A tornado did touchdown on the runway in June 2013.  There are typically a few tornado alerts in Denver each summer.
• a new Westin hotel will open at the airport late 2015.
• give yourself a minimum 90 minutes to arrive and get through security before your flight. 2 hours would be better. 
• do consider your travel times and potential delays when you travel to or thru Denver airport. It's not uncommon for winter weather to throw a wrench in the plans at this mountain airport.
• $500(Cdn) is an average price for a direct, return Denver flight. Anything less is a deal. I've seen it as low as $360Cdn.

There are direct flights to/from Winnipeg-Denver daily, operated by United Airlines (or Air Canada as their code share partner). You can check both sites, sometimes there will be a price difference though, it's actually the same flight/plane. You can choose to collect your Aeroplan points or United Mileage on these flights. 

If you are looking for a bargain, and are willing to drive over the border, United also flies from Devils Lake (DVL) or Minot (MOT) North Dakota.  Of those 2 airports, DVL is typically cheaper ($260US) and does not charge for parking. They have 2 flights daily. I have flown DVL to DEN before. It was fantastic when the Canadian dollar was worth more. 

The YWG arrival gate in DEN is Gate B89. It's a ways from the main airport halls. You will want at least an hour to connect to another flight. The great thing about this B89 area, is that it has a brand new Starbucks kiosk. It's awesome, but expect lines as long as security after 9am. The washroom in this area is 2star. Wait until you get upstairs to the main hall for the 4star washrooms. 

View of the airport from the highway. The glass "W" is the new Westin Hotel

Down in the lower annex, by gate B89 where the YWG flight typically arrives

Hawaiian Holiday Heaven

7 days is never enough in paradise. Why not 17?  With these getaways you could certainly immerse yourself in the Hawaiian lifestyle, forget your winter blues and get truly recharged. That, I would say, sounds heavenly!

These packages which include more than 2 weeks at an amazing hotel, are a great value when you consider cost per night. Sure, the overall cost is about the same as your yearly house taxes, but heck, you work hard. You DESERVE Hawaiian happiness.

www.expedia.com  or see your favourite travel agent to book.

Beyond Ridiculous Round Trip Air $150

For those willing and able to fly out of Minot, North Dakota you can take advantage of a price war going on between Frontier Airlines and United.

United is the established airline, Frontier the relative upstart. United's main hub is Denver Colorado. Frontier is trying to carve a piece of the pie here for themselves.

So, the bargain is only Minot to Denver.  Last week prices were down to $172 for flights. That INCLUDES TAXES and everything for a round trip flight.  I thought we'd be lucky to see a day, or two of those prices.

Now, it's $157. ($150 US funds. $157 with our stumbling Canadian dollar.) There are tons of dates this spring to choose from. A range of stays from 1 night to 7 or more.

I'm blown away. Most return airfares anywhere in Canada are $450. This IMHO is like getting a three for one deal.

If you're thinking of a weekend getaway, your budget should love this one.