Airports are places of interest for the often-traveling individual. They can get very interesting in many different ways. Take Changi Airport in Shanghai, China, for example, from a first-timer’s perspective it’s just an airport that’s like a big mall with everything in it. But, it’s actually better than a mall, it’s like a low-key Las Vegas establishment. They would say it’s a nice airport. What they don’t realize is that they just stepped foot in the world’s best airport. It’s not just a “nice” airport, it’s the best in the world. But what makes an airport the best airport? That discussion is up for much debate, and most probably, Singapore’s Changi Airport will still come out on top.

So why not another airport, let’s say the Denver International Airport? It’s a pretty nice airport. Big, comfy with interesting art and facilities. And, it’s actually one of the best in the USA. The Denver International Airport is as famous as it is controversial. But one thing is for sure, and one thing that everyone who has stepped foot in this fine airport could all agree on. It’s that the DIA is an airport like no other airport in the world. Here are twenty compelling reasons why.

20 20. DIA Accolades

This airport is located on the northeastern side of Denver, accessible via Pena Blvd. It is the third airport in the USA with the highest number of runways at 6. It is the second largest airport by size in the whole world, only under King Fahd International Airport of Saudi Arabia. In the 2018 Skytrax rating of World’s Best Airports, DIA came in at #29, the best out of all airports in the USA. It is also North America’s Best Regional Airport and the 5th Best Regional Airport in the world. DIA is one of the world’s busiest airports in terms of passenger traffic, servicing almost 61,380,000 passengers last year.

19 19. Blue Mustang

American artist Luis Jimenez was a sculptor who favored fiberglass as his medium for his artwork. His pieces are all around public places in the United States, with strong influences from his Mexican descent. One sculpture, Vaquero, is displayed in Houston’s Moody Park. Some of them are in museums like Man on Fire, at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. His last work was the sculpture called Blue Mustang, positioned at the entranceway of Denver International Airport, it is the first thing people see once they get to the airport. It was the last thing he worked on because of an accident involving a piece of the Blue Mustang. It broke off, fell, and pinned him, sadly ending his life in 2006.

18 5. Freemasons

Stonemasons of the post-14th-century era started this organization we now know as Freemasons, or simply Masons. This organization is so elite that it has for its member's one-third of all U.S. Presidents. George Washington was one of them. Other famous members were Benjamin Franklin, Winston Churchill, J. Edgar Hoover, even Shaq, and Jesse Jackson. The time capsule’s dedication capstone has, in the middle of it, the insignia undoubtedly belonging to the Freemasons. Is this another story in the web of theories or just a simple stone made by the Masons for the airport. Is the Illuminati involved, somehow? These are questions that we have no answers to just yet.

17 4. Bird's Eye View of the Airport

One more controversial bit of information about the Denver International Airport, to the same tune as the tunnels and bunkers, is how the airport looks from a bird’s eye view. Aerial photos of the airport show a distinct shape made by the runways, they kind of form a dark sign from our world’s history. Tunnels and bunkers, the Illuminati and the Masons, and now the Nazis. How controversial can an airport really get? This particular bit about the aerial view looking like a swastika, in our opinion, is quite a stretch. But the airport from above really does look like it.

16 17. Denver Art

Never has an airport taken their art more seriously than the Denver International Airport. It has an amazing art collection, one of the best of all the airports in the world. There’s too much of it that if you check it out on their website, there are three classifications: the current exhibits, the past exhibits, and the permanent collection. It is everywhere in the airport, in small display rooms, on the walls as you walk by, even in the ceiling and right there on the ground. DIA has an Art Program that works with museums, curators, and art organizations and presents only the best quality in the airport.

15 16. The Gargoyles in a Suitcase

Inside a suitcase we’ll find clothes and the usual stuff, but never a gargoyle. The Denver International Airport has, not just one, but two gargoyle sculptures, in the east and west baggage claim areas of the airport. It’s a piece of sculpture that’s one of the weirdest anyone would ever see anywhere, let alone in an airport baggage claim area. The Notre Denver, they are called, are supposedly protectors and watch over the travelers, and ensure safe arrival of their baggage. They’re kind of cute, kind of grows on you. But currently, the two gargoyles are in restoration and will return to their post by 2021.

14 15. Shopping

Airports always have options for passengers to go shopping while they kill time waiting for their flight. Shopping is a tried and tested way of passing the time. Airports have been capitalizing on that fact and boosting their shopping options for customers’ convenience and pleasure. There is a vast selection of restaurants, shops, and kiosks all over Gates A, B, and C, and the Jeppesen Terminal. From electronic shops to gifts and souvenir shops, jewelry shops and bookstores, one can virtually find anything here in DIA’s shops.

13 14. Weird Murals

Reflection, references, and interpretation, these are some of the things that art instigates in the viewer. Art criticism is a delicate thing, it involves at least four aspects: the visual facts, the analyzing, the interpretation, and the judgment. A lot can be said about some of the murals people see in the Denver International Airport, these are the works of artist Leo Tanguma. His work reflects strong progressive social ideas, spirituality, and world history all blended into one picture. Imagine how that would look, yes, we’d have to just imagine them now, because his murals were just removed from display in DIA.

12 13. Ice Skating in the Airport

Year after year, since 2016, a section of the Denver International Airport is dedicated for ice skating. In the spirit of the holiday season, DIA sets up a free ice skating rink in the Denver Plaza. Passengers can head on to the Denver Plaza from nine in the morning until nine in the evening and pass the time by hitting the ice free of charge. The rink is bigger and better, one can even chance on performances and special appearances. It’s a nice project by DIA, something any other regular airport has not thought of, and are really scratching their heads saying, that’s a great idea.

11 12. Permanent Art Collection

Art displays in the airport are actually countless, there are a lot of them spread all over the different sections of DIA. The permanent collection alone has 31 categories. Take, for example, the 21st-century artifacts, these are art pieces in Gate B that are on the floor! Then, in the Jeppesen Terminal, there’s the famous map of the country with little pictures in it, it’s called America, Why I Love Her. The artist chronicled road trips from childhood with great iconic pictures of famous tourist spots all over the USA. There are countless paintings, sculptures, and new age art all over the airport.

10 8. Strange Tunnels and Bunkers

A long list of theories will come up if we open the notion of bunkers and tunnels underneath the Denver International Airport. This isn’t new information, but it certainly does not get old. Some theories state that the largest existing underground bunker in the world is right here at the airport, underneath it. This is why the airport is built on such a big property, it is supposedly cover for the bunker. Some even say that the bunker is built for the New World Order. Making things theatrical is the emergence of a whistleblower, who came forward and confirmed that it really does exist. One thing is for sure, DIA is a big place on a big piece of land, and there are tunnels underneath it, people see them every day. As for the bunker and all the other theories, no one can really confirm and prove it.

9 11. Past Exhibits

Most of the art exhibits displayed in the Denver International Airport were there for only a time, these are artwork from various artists that were gracious enough to share their talent with the passengers going through DIA. Would you believe there were already 55 different art exhibits that the DIA have shown through the years, that’s more than some art museums? A Show Of Hands was an exhibit shown in the Jeppesen Terminal in 2014, it was like an homage to baseball and the home team Colorado Rockies and other Denver sports heroes. It displayed bronze casts of the hands of John Elway, Buck O’Neil, and Goose Gossage, to name some. Most exhibits were a display of the culture and passion of the people of Colorado.

8 10. The Time Capsule

A mysterious message was written on a slab of stone, this particular marker may be the most mysterious and most interesting thing we’ve ever seen in the Denver International Airport. A lot of rumors have circled around this mysterious time capsule, and a lot of questions were asked. The airport officials and spokespeople have given their answers but everything seems to still be up in the air, so to speak. The time capsule, as written on the stone, will be opened in 2094. It also mentions a New World Airport Commission, which does not really exist, and then a symbol too familiar for most people, which we will talk about more a little later.

7 9. CATS (Canine Airport Therapy Squad)

Love and affection come in different forms, some people find animal companionship to be one of them. There’s nothing more stress relieving than going home and having your dog come at you with all the excitement in the world. This kind of therapy is available at Denver International Airport. The therapy is a runaway hit, among passengers, and among volunteers. There’s a long list of volunteer owners and their pets, ready to stroll along the airport crowd and offer some warmth and affection from their beloved pets. From pugs to huskies, dalmatians, and bulldogs, these dogs are friends waiting for you to pet them.

6 7. Airport Size

King Fahd International Airport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is really an airport fit for its name. It is a vast 77,600 hectares of land, dwarfing the Denver International Airport’s 13,571 hectares. With that gargantuan difference of 64,000 and some hectares, the DIA is still the biggest in the USA. With the Dallas International Airport coming in at second, the margin is still a huge 6,608 hectares. One can fit almost two Dallas International Airports in DIA. This gives credence to the conspiracy theories and claims about the humongous underground bunker. Why was the airport built on such a massive piece of land, that is a really good question?

5 6. Water Bottle Filling Stations

Inspiration has driven the Denver International Airport to promote various recycling programs throughout the airport’s existence. Apart from the rather large solar farms, the property has four. They also have free water filling stations available for all passengers to quench their thirst with. Located, one each, in Gates A, B, and C, it’s a smart program that promotes continued use of water bottles. Instead of throwing the empty bottle in the trash bin, only to buy another one later, passengers can simply head to the filling station and get a fresh bottle of cold, or warm water, it’s their choice, and it’s for free.

4 3. Bicycling Travelers

Bicycling in Denver is a big thing. The people of Denver are health-buffs, always taking the chance of working out and contributing to the welfare of the environment the most they can. The city of Denver has a commitment to making their city a bicycling network by establishing a bike facility every quarter mile from any household. Of course, the Denver International Airport has pledged their commitment to this healthy and eco-friendly venture. They have two travel routes to the airport for bicycle travelers and have four parking spots for bicycles in their Transit Center and the northern side of Arrivals.

3 2. The Automated Baggage System

Reducing delays in airports could be done by having a computerized baggage system, or that’s what the Denver International Airport though. The design was very good, really impressive, and would do a lot for the airport and its passengers. But it never reflected in the real world, the system was supposed to cut on wait times, delays, and reduce airline labor costs. But instead of all those, the airport suffered losses of up to hundreds of millions of dollars; by the construction at first, then more for maintenance, modification, and repairs. They had to shut it down due to costs, it was a good idea, but maybe not right now.

2 1. Amazing Wifi

Amazing is really the word to use, because, compared to other international airports and their wi-fi, Denver International Airport’s is one of the best. To prove this claim, back in 2017 Ookla conducted a study of airports in North to Central America. The results showed that DIA has the best and the fastest wifi in the land. Download speed test shows 78 Mbps, and upload speed is around the same number. Ookla even claimed that the wifi connectivity and speed power provided by the DIA is the best in the world today. Next time we’re checked in here, let’s update all our apps and download as many as we can!

1 18. Paradise 4 Paws

It is a hotel, or better yet, a resort for pets. Paradise 4 Paws is a pet service company in Denver with two locations, the latest of which is right here in Denver International Airport. It is a luxury resort for pets, they have overnight accommodations for dogs and cats, daycare, grooming and spa, veterinary care and dog training services. Some dog suites even have flat-screen TVs and webcams for the owners to view them any time they like. The cat bungalows have a customized environment for feline pleasure. Here in DIA, your pet can also have a vacation while you’re away and can’t care for them.

References: Messagetoeagle, Telegraph, Flydenver, Thrillist