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  May 2011

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Volume 3, Issue 5  

DIA Cargo May Reflect Recovering Economy
For the first time since 2001, the annual amount of cargo that traveled through DIA increased.

In 2010, more than 250,000 metric tons traveled through DIA – an increase of 12 percent, or 27,000 tons, over 2009. Only 7 percent of this total is air mail. The remaining is freight and express cargo.

Much of this increase in cargo shipments may be attributed to a recovering economy. Colorado’s signs of recovery have in part been driven by increases in high- and clean-tech manufacturing, as companies relocate to and expand in Colorado. Services have long been Colorado’s largest economic driver, but recent relocations and expansions from companies such as DaVita, Vestas, and SMA solar have helped to increase Colorado’s global presence as a high- and clean-technology exporter.

A cargo container is loaded into a wide-body commercial jet at Denver International Airport.

Colorado’s largest export partners are Canada and Mexico and most of the state’s shipped goods travel by truck or train. Still, as Colorado’s largest port, DIA exported more than $3 billion worth of air cargo worldwide in 2010. The following charts show what is being loaded onto planes at DIA and where the goods are headed.

Source: WISERTrade

DIA Raises Airport Daily Parking Rates;
Revenue Will Help Airlines
To optimize revenue and thereby make the fees Denver International Airport charges its airlines more competitive, maximum daily parking rates at DIA will increase effective June 1, 2011. This will bring DIA more in line with other major airports around the country.

Effective June 1, 2011, maximum daily rates will be:
$7 - Pikes Peak and Mt. Elbert (currently $6): 
$11 - East and West Economy Lots (currently $10):
$21 - East and West Garage (currently $18): 
$30 - East and West Valet (currently $27):

Hourly rates in all parking lots will remain the same, making it convenient for customers who visit the airport to pick up and drop off family and friends

Staying Healthy a Mile (or more) High
By Tracy Cushing, M.D., M.P.H.

Welcome to Denver, Colorado!

We want to make your visit as safe and fun as possible. Denver, at 5,280 feet above sea-level, is truly a mile-high city. Along with access to unparalleled mountain adventures and outdoor activities, the added elevation brings some unique considerations for travelers visiting us from lower elevations. Whether this is your first visit or you are a regular traveler to this Rocky Mountain paradise, here are some important factors to ensure a safe and enjoyable visit.

Thin Air
You may have heard air at high elevations referred to as “thin air,” and in a way, it is: as elevation increases, the pressure of oxygen in the air decreases, resulting in lower oxygen levels (known as hypoxia). Over time, your body adjusts to this, but it requires acclimatization – a series of physiologic changes your body uses to compensate for hypoxia.

Hikers enjoy the altitude of a Rocky Mountain alpine landscape in Colorado.

Acclimatization is easier for some people than others, but if you follow some basic rules about elevation gain, you can avoid some of the problems that can occur with improper acclimatization:

• If you are staying within Denver or the surrounding areas, you will likely not have any difficulties from the altitude. If you are heading up to elevations higher than 8,000 feet (2,500m), you should spend at least one night at 8,000 to 10,000 feet (2,500-3,050m) - avoid abrupt ascent to a sleeping altitude above 9,000 feet (2740m).
• Avoid alcohol, sedatives, and other medications that can affect your sleep or respiratory drive for the first 48 hours while acclimatizing.
• It is natural to feel slightly out of breath with exertion while acclimatizing, but some people avoid strenuous physical activity for the first 48 hours until they are used to the altitude.
• The air is drier at higher elevations: keep your skin well moisturized, and keep yourself well hydrated (at least eight to 10 8-ounce glasses of water per day).
• You are closer to the sun, and there is greater ultraviolet exposure at higher altitudes. Wear sun protection at all times (including face, lips, ears, and other areas exposed while skiing or hiking) and re-apply liberally.

Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)
AMS is the most common type of altitude illness, and it affects approximately one quarter of all visitors above 8,000 feet (2,500m). AMS symptoms are: a headache, sometimes severe, accompanied by nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness, and occasionally vomiting. The headache will usually appear within 12 hours of arrival at altitude. Symptoms are often compared to an alcohol hangover. Symptoms of AMS in children, who are as susceptible to altitude as adults, may include irritability, nausea, and loss of appetite.

The symptoms of AMS should resolve within 24 hours if no further altitude elevation is gained. Treat your headache with simple pain relievers (acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin), remember to stay well hydrated, and avoid strenuous activities.

Visitors to Colorado who are not used to high elevations should keep themselves well hydrated to help avoid altitude sickness.

When to Seek Help/Descend
Symptoms of altitude illness are usually gradual and as long as you follow proper acclimatization and heed the signs of worsening illness, it is possible to avoid more severe illness:

• Know the signs and symptoms of altitude illness - a headache or ‘hangover’ that doesn’t go away or is getting worse without altitude gain is a warning that you’re acclimatizing too quickly.

• Never ascend to a higher altitude if you have altitude illness symptoms, no matter how mild they might seem; going higher will only worsen symptoms.

• Descend to a lower altitude if symptoms are unrelenting or become worse while resting at the same altitude.

• Most high-altitude areas in Colorado have ski patrollers, U. S. Forest Service or park rangers, or local clinics that are knowledgeable about altitude illness. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice if you need it.

If you follow these basic rules of acclimatization, you should be able to avoid feeling the effects of high altitude, and you are on your way to having an incredible stay in Colorado. Welcome and have a wonderful trip!

Delta Unpacks Online Baggage Tracking Service
Delta has introduced a new service that allows passengers to track their bags in real time via www.delta.com.

The new online service, launched in April, lets passengers follow their checked bags from scanning at check-in, to the flight they're loaded on, and then to arrival at baggage claim. Delta passengers receive a tracking number when they check their baggage online or at a customer-service counter. Passengers can then track their luggage on Delta's Web site with their mobile telephones or laptop computers. The service goes one step further for members of Delta's SkyMiles customer rewards program. Customers who belong to that service will be able to sign up for "Last-minute updates," which will provide them with alerts about the status of their baggage.

New TSA Alert Levels
The Department of Homeland Security recently revamped the National Terrorism Advisory System, or NTAS. Travelers are familiar with the color-coded alert system that has been in place since the days following 9/11, and are accustomed to hearing overhead announcements in U.S. airports regarding the current threat level.

However, with the implementation of the NTAS, these announcements – and the color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System - are now a thing of the past. The new DHS system will more effectively communicate information about terrorist threats by providing timely, detailed information to the public, government agencies, first responders, airports, and other transportation hubs.

So what does this mean for you as a member of the traveling public?

You won’t hear repeated announcements of a broad-based threat level while walking through an airport, and will be alerted only on a case-by-case basis if there is a credible security threat. As always, citizens should report suspicious activity to local law enforcement authorities and continue to practice the “If You See Something, Say Something™” principle.

Under the new system, NTAS alerts will include a clear statement that there is either an imminent threat, or elevated threat. The new alerts will provide a concise summary of a potential threat, information about public safety, and steps that individuals, communities, businesses, and governments can take to prevent, mitigate, or respond to a threat.

NTAS alerts will be tailored to the nature of the threat: in some cases, alerts will be sent directly to law enforcement or affected agencies; in others, alerts will be communicated broadly to the public through official and media channels.

In another change to the previous color-coded threat system, NTAS alerts will not contain a constant, blanket warning of an overarching threat. Alerts will instead contain specific expiration dates, and scheduled NTAS alert updates and cancellations will be distributed through the same communication channels.

My Home Town – Cincinnati
By Herald Hensley, DIA Parking Manager
My family moved to Erlanger, Ky., when I was 3 years old. Erlanger is a suburb of both Cincinnati, Ohio – about eight miles southwest of the city – and Covington, Ky.

The Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport is located in Kentucky just northwest of Erlanger. Most of my neighbors worked at the airport or in Covington or Cincinnati. One thing you should really know about the greater Cincinnati area is that the folks in Kentucky aren’t real fond of the folks across the river in Cincinnati, except, of course, when they are needed.

The city of Cincinnati at night reflected in the Ohio River, which separates Ohio from Kentucky.
Photo courtesy of www.CincinnatiUSA.com

Cincinnati is known for several things.

There is a significant German population in Cincinnati, which brought beer-brewing expertise and the Oktoberfest celebration. One of the big local beers was Hudepohl. I can still remember going to the Cincinnati Reds games as a kid and the beer vendors shouting “Get Moody with Hudy”. I always got a kick out of that even though my dad would never let me sample the Hudy.

The Belle of Cincinnati Riverboat has been a staple of the beautiful Cincinnati riverfront on the
Ohio River for the past 25 years. Photo courtesy of www.CincinnatiUSA.com

Hudepohl Brewing Company was established in Cincinnati in 1885 by founder Ludwig Hudepohl II, who was the son of Bavarian immigrants. Hudepohl combined with Schoenling Brewing Company in 1986. Today, the company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Christian Moerlein Brewing Co.

Another big name in beer was Wiedemann. George Wiedemann Sr. left Eisenach, Germany, and moved to Newport, Ky., directly across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, in 1870. He founded George Wiedemenn Brewing Company, which became Kentucky's largest brewery.

The new WindSeeker ride at Kings Island, northeast of Cincinnati on Interstate 71, should give
thrill-seekers who are brave enough to open their eyes great views of southern Ohio.
Photo courtesy of www.CincinnatiUSA.com

Wiedemann merged with G. Heileman Brewing Company in 1967. The primary brands were Wiedemann Fine Beer, Royal Amber Beer, Blatz Beer/Cream Ale, and other Heileman labels. The brewery closed in 1983. The Wiedemann name was then sold, and today the beer is brewed by the Pittsburgh Brewing Co. in Pennsylvania.

Cincinnati is also famous for chili, which has a totally different flavor and texture than the chili here in Colorado. Several chili restaurants are very popular, including Skyline Chili, Gold Star Chili, and Dixie Chili, which is the smallest of the three and by far my favorite. It has only one location, on Dixie Highway in Erlanger, but it ships canned chili all over the world. Transplanted natives of Erlanger make Dixie Chili their first stop when visiting home. I will have at least three meals there when I return.

Downtown Cincinnati’s bustling Fountain Square during a night concert. Photo courtesy of www.CincinnatiUSA.com

Besides famous chili, Dixie’s has Coneys – a hotdog with chili, onions, and cheese. It has always been rumored that Dixie’s uses Vienna sausages inside the hot dogs on its Coneys. You can also order a two-way, which is spaghetti and chili; a three-way, with added cheese; a four-way, with onions; or a five-way, with all of the above plus beans.

It is impossible to describe the taste of Dixie’s Chili – you just need to go there and try it. While you are at Dixie Chili eating your Coneys and three-ways, look east and you will see a famous corner in Erlanger. My sister once was sitting at that intersection and forgot she had the car in reverse. Of course, when she took off she went roaring backward and ran into the car behind her. In the other car was Mr. Tichenor, who was the superintendent of the Erlanger-Elsmere School District.

Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is home to the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Robert D. Lindner
Family OMNIMAX Theater, and the Cincinnati Historical Society Library.

Originally built in 1933 as the Union Terminal train station, the building is a national historic landmark and was renovated and reopened as Cincinnati Museum Center in 1990. Photo courtesy of www.CincinnatiUSA.com

To make matters worse, when she called home from a pay telephone, she told my dad that she had just run over Mr. Tichenor. After a significant pause, my dad calmly asked if the superintendant was still alive.

In the ‘70s, at that same corner about two years later, the entire Lloyd High School football and cross country teams decided to streak across this intersection. This endeavor was highly successful and, fortunately, no one was caught with his pants down.

Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium – home of the NFL Cincinnati Bengals football team.
Photo courtesy of www.CincinnatiUSA.com

I spent many happy hours watching the Reds at Crosley Field and the Reds and the Bengals in Riverfront stadium. Crosley Field and Riverfront Stadium are now gone but they have built the Great American Ball Park for the Reds and Paul Brown Stadium for the Bengals. Both of these stadiums sit right on the riverfront of the Ohio River.

One of my favorite memories is watching the Fourth of July fireworks. A local radio station coordinated music to coincide with the fireworks displays shot from barges sitting in the middle of the Ohio River. The banks were lined with thousands of spectators, all listening to the same radio station. This is still a Fourth of July tradition.

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, located on the Cincinnati riverfront.
Photo by Farshid Assassi/ Assassi Productions; courtesy of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is located on the Cincinnati riverfront. The Center has information and exhibits about the role Northern Kentuckians and Cincinnatians played in the Underground Railroad – the term given the routes that enslaved African Americans took to gain their freedom.

The University of Cincinnati is another great place to explore. Even though I did not attend school there, I enjoyed the many small concert venues and other college campus activities. Two of my favorite local bands that played in these venues were Pure Prairie League and the Raisins (now the psychodots). Both of these bands still tour today.

The Greater Cincinnati area has a lot to offer for anyone who wants to spend a few days exploring one of this country’s great Midwestern cities.

For two weeks in July 2012, Cincinnati will be the talk of the international arts and music communities when it hosts the World Choir Games. With choirs representing more than 90 countries, the games unite vocalists through friendly competition. Often referred to as the
Olympics of choral music, this two-week event attracts 400 choirs, 20,000 participants, and thousands of spectators from across the world. This is the first time the games will meet in the United States. Photo courtesy of www.CincinnatiUSA.com

The world of Cleopatra VII, which has been lost to the sea and sand for nearly 2,000 years, has surfaced at Cincinnati Museum Center with Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt.
On view through Sept. 5, 2011, the exhibition features nearly 150 artifacts archaeologists
uncovered from the era of Cleopatra’s rule, all of which are visiting the United States for the
first time. Photo courtesy of www.CincinnatiUSA.com

Taking Off from the Mile High City
DIA’s airfield is one of the most efficient in the world. With its six nonintersecting runways, DIA currently accommodates more than 1,700 planes per day – that’s approximately a takeoff or landing every 45 seconds, on average.

That volume of operations means you have frequency and access to the destinations on your itinerary.

One of the highlights of DIA’s airfield is Runway 16R/34L, the longest commercial runway in North America, at 16,000 feet long. DIA planners designed the runway to not only accommodate new-generation aircraft, such as the Airbus 380 and the Boeing 787 (which require longer runways for take offs and landings) but to also handle operations at higher altitudes. Unlike other airports at high elevations, DIA has an advantage. The extra 4,000-feet of 16R/34L allows fully loaded jumbo jets to take off from DIA’s 5,431-foot altitude during summer months, thereby providing unrestricted global access for any airline using DIA.

Each aircraft’s operational requirements are different, and factors such as weight, tires, airspeed, etc., can always affect an aircraft’s performance. Generally speaking, any increase in temperature or altitude means a change in the air density and a change in an aircraft's performance.

A Frontier Airlines commercial jet takes off from Denver International Airport.

A plane relies on technology and physics to take off. An explanation of the physics involved is complex, and not all theorists agree. An oversimplified explanation is that air (at high speed) flowing around an airfoil (wing) produces lift. NASA’s Glenn Research Center’s Web site says, “Lift is the force that directly opposes the weight of an airplane and holds the airplane in the air. Lift is generated by every part of the airplane, but most of the lift on a normal airliner is generated by the wings.”

The research center goes on to say that theories on what causes lift have produced heated arguments.

Some physicists support the Daniel Bernoulli principle, which proposes that as air velocity increases around an object, pressure decreases.

Faster air over the top of an aircraft wing lowers the air pressure above the wing, and the difference created between the top and the bottom of the wing creates lift. This effect is easier to achieve with greater air density because there are more air molecules to manipulate for this effect.

But, other aerodynamic physicists use Isaac Newton’s laws to explain lift. His third law – the application of force causes an equal opposite force – explains what happens when air meets an airfoil: Air is rammed under the foil, creating downwash, and upward pressure.

Still other experts think the primary principle of lift is a combination of both theories and other factors.

Air density decreases with both altitude and temperature. At high-elevation airports or on hotter days, an airplane requires a lengthier runway to reach the airspeed necessary to create the difference in density above and below the wing. Denver in summer months has that combination of height and heat, and on sweltering days 16R/34L’s 16,000 feet give pilots plenty of room to gain the airspeed for safe and consistent takeoffs and landings.

Sources: Boeing; NASA; “A Physical Description of Flight; Revisited” by David Anderson, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and Scott Eberhardt, Boeing Company

Plundering Herd
Avast, mateys! Sea dogs have invaded Denver International Airport!

Passengers and visitors at DIA are doing double takes as they stumble across the likes of Jack Sparrow and Captain Hook while picking up checked bags, or dropping off loved ones. Ten life-sized pirate mannequins are on display as part of the airport’s latest temporary art installation, on loan from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s Real Pirates exhibition. Airport visitors have taken notice of the special guests, stopping to smile, laugh, pose for pictures, or try out their best pirate slang as the intimidating characters look on. 

Real Pirates: the Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship explores the golden age of piracy and is now showing at the DMNS in Denver’s City Park neighborhood. The exhibition features more than 200 artifacts - including cannons, swords, coins, and gold - recovered off the coast of Cape Cod from the first authenticated pirate ship discovered in U.S. waters.

Two wee travelers are seemingly mesmerized by a buccaneer and his booty of doubloons. This statue and nine other pirates are scattered throughout Jeppesen Terminal to advertise the
Museum of Nature & Science’s exhibit: Real Pirates: the Untold Story of the Whydah from
Slave Ship to Pirate Ship.

DIA’s Public Art Program has joined the DMNS in an ongoing collaboration and promotion of public art initiatives. In addition to its permanent art collection, DIA hosts temporary exhibitions and cultural events, partnering with museums, cultural institutions, and arts organizations. Working with the DMNS furthers the airport’s Public Art Program objectives of encouraging cultural tourism and supporting Colorado’s creative economy, while positioning art and culture as a vital asset to the DIA passenger experience.

“DIA has one of the most robust public art programs of any airport in the country, and we’ve found that our collection of permanent pieces, temporary exhibitions, and special installations enhance the passenger experience at our airport,” said Kim Day, aviation manager at DIA. “Collaborating with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science with the Real Pirates exhibition is a natural fit for us, and we’ve been assured that all of the pirates invading DIA have passed a thorough airport security background check.”

Let the Shadows Guide the Way
Punxsutawney Phil would be in heaven at Denver International Airport, with shadows cast throughout the bridge to A Gates in a new art installation called Shadow Happy.

The installation, by artist Brianna Martray, includes 7,000 folded paper cranes and 500 glued circles of tempered glass floating across the bridge to A Gates. With light pouring in from the floor-to-ceiling windows on the bridge, the shadows cast by the cranes are endless.

The origami cranes throughout the exhibition consist of pages from a novel that the artist wrote many years ago, but never published. After having the electronic version stolen, this is the only record of the novel. In her artist statement, Martray describes the folded paper cranes as “…the shadow of thousands of hours of work, the history of my creative journey, remnants of a former self.”

In conjunction with the cranes, there are 500 circles of glass glued together creating a solid piece once again, reflecting the light throughout the exhibition providing a vibrant contrast to the paper crane images. 

The correlation between birds in flight and an airport is obvious, but that is not the sole reason this piece seamlessly integrates into the art and architecture at DIA. Martray explained, “I wanted to create a piece that was accessible on all levels, where even a child can see its beauty while the parents can read further into its many layers of meaning and symbolism.”

City & County of Denver Department of Aviation
8500 Peña Boulevard | Denver, Colorado U.S.A. | 80249-6340

marketing@flydenver.com

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