2 weeks Ago By John Pullen
Denver International Airport has experienced explosive growth in the past few years. The Colorado gateway, which is now one of the busiest and best-connected airports in the United States and among the busiest in the world, boasts a robust network and schedule from various airlines. The airport has grown its capabilities recently by introducing biometric boarding for all international gates .
Denver's role as a significant aviation hub is primarily due to United Airlines . The carrier has called the Mile High City a hub for decades and continues to expand and invest heavily in Colorado's capital. But with its expansive route portfolio from Denver, which routes does the carrier serve most frequently? United Airlines holds a significant portion of the market share at Denver Airport.
According to the Department of Transportation, its mainline operations alone account for over 37% of passenger traffic that travels through the airport, and subsidiary SkyWest (which operates flights under the United Express brand) accounts for another 7% of Denver passengers. United has almost half of the Denver market. Trailing behind United is low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines .
The budget giant carries 33% of Denver passengers, and the two have been engaged in intense competition since Southwest entered the Denver market in 2006. Behind Southwest is Frontier Airlines , the ultra-low-cost carrier that holds 10% of the market share. 1 Denver – Houston 653 flights United’s Denver network connects passengers to the rest of the country and the rest of the world.
It offers flights to cities as close as Colorado Springs and as far as Tokyo, Japan, and Munich, Germany. But, using data from aviation analytics company Cirium , we see that United's most frequent routes from the Mile High City are flown extremely frequently and are all to other hubs in the carrier's network. In December 2024, United's most frequently flown route from Denver is to Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).
The airline will fly 653 flights on the route, totaling 141,489 available seats. The route is flown by a wide mix of aircraft, from as small as the Boeing 737 to as large as the 777: Airbus A321neo Boeing 737-800 Boeing 737-900 Boeing 757-300 Boeing 777-200 Boeing 737 MAX 8 Boeing 737 MAX 9 The most utilized aircraft on the route is the Boeing 737-900, which will be deployed 280 times between the two cities. The rare Boeing 757-300 will also be deployed 152 times.
The Boeing 777, which is the largest aircraft flown on the route, will be deployed 88 times, 44 each way. Interestingly, the carrier has also placed its new Airbus A321neo aircraft between the two cities nine times. 2 Denver – San Francisco 621 flights United's second most frequent route from Denver is to San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
This destination is important in connecting United passengers with Asia, as many of its direct services to the continent originate in San Francisco. United offers 621 flights between the two cities, with a wide variety of aircraft serving the route. This equates to 115,610 seats between the hubs.
Once again, the Boeing 737-900 is used most frequently, with 199 total flights. Beyond the Boeing 737 family, United operates a mix of narrowbody and widebody jets, including: Boeing 757-200 Boeing 757-300 Boeing 777-200 3 Denver – Chicago 567 flights The third most frequently served route from United's Denver network is to Chicago, Illinois, the carrier's hometown. United offers extensive service to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), which the carrier calls home and its second-largest hub.
In total, United offers 121,457 seats across 567 flights. On this route, United relies heavily on higher-capacity narrowbody aircraft to fulfill the massive demand it encounters between these two cities. The most-used aircraft on the route is the Boeing 757-300, which will operate 248 of December's flights.
In addition, the Boeing 737-900 and Airbus A321neo are used heavily. 4 Denver – Newark 560 flights United offers 99,968 seats across 560 monthly flights between Denver and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). This hub, which serves as the carrier's primary gateway to the biggest city in the United States, also acts as the airline's gateway to Europe.
Unlike the other routes mentioned, this route uses a much more limited variety of aircraft: the airline only flies the Boeing 737 family and Boeing 757-200. The Boeing 737-900 is by far the most utilized, followed by the Boeing 757, but the carrier also operates a handful of 737 MAX aircraft on the service. 5 Denver – Los Angeles 560 flights Newark and Los Angeles are tied in terms of flight frequency from Denver.
Both are essential United hubs, but another critical metric to consider is available seats. Los Angeles is significantly larger by this metric. In total, United will operate 560 flights between Denver and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Collectively, these flights offer 102,147 seats. Like many others listed above, this route heavily utilizes the Boeing 737-900. The type operates about 36% of the flights between these hubs.
The Boeing 737-800 is often used between this city pair as well, operating 200 flights total, or 35% of total flights. In addition to these types, the carrier also operates: Boeing 737 MAX 8 Boeing 737 MAX 9 Airbus A320 Airbus A321neo Boeing 757-300 As one of the world's largest airlines, United boasts impressive frequency and available seats on its busiest routes from Denver. This is largely thanks to higher-capacity narrowbody jets like the 737-900, A321neo, and Boeing 757.
The aircraft mix it utilizes stresses the importance of larger narrowbody jets and their critical role in United’s daily operations. 6 7 8.
