My Visit To United’s Denver Ramp Tower

During our DEN layover, my son Augustine and I had the chance to visit United’s Denver Ramp Tower, giving us a look at one of United’s command centers at its Rocky Mountain hub.

Visiting The United Airlines Denver Ramp Tower

I have many friends who work for United and one dear friend knew my family was flying through Denver and offered to give us a behind-the-scenes tour. A control tower is not a place for a four-year-old, so my wife Heidi (who has no interest in such things) and my daughter Claire Marie stayed behind in the United Club while Augustine and I took the tour.

United’s Denver hub includes more than 500 daily flights during the busier summer months. In addition to Air Traffic Control guiding flights in and out of the busy airport, United also communicates with pilots in the air, determines which flights may be delayed due to congestion or weather based on operational needs, and tries to stay many steps ahead of any potentail trouble that could cause a ripple effect of disruptions.

In the Ramp Tower, weather, incoming planes, and air traffic are closely monitored:

One level up, a bird’s eye view of ground operations is available, allowing some problems–like traffic jams–to be viewed with the naked eye.

While my son loved climbing to the roof and taking in all the planes, I quite enjoyed just seeing the operation in motion…it takes a lot to run an airline and I enjoyed the conversations I had…every employee has a story and every employee was delightful.

Denver is a United hub I have flown from since I was a kid…my first ever United flight was from LAX to DEN in 1995…

…the last three decades have certainly flown by! Back then, the airport was literally only one month old after the old Stapleton Airport closed on February 27, 1995.

Much has changed but much is the same…Denver still feels like the same hub, even as it has exploded in traffic.

Under the leadership of Jon Gooda, the Managing Director of Denver (who was promoted to VP of Newark last September), the airport also became far more customer-friendly.

Yes, I must be one of those “sticky” United customers…Denver is one reason why.