OREANDA-NEWS. Denver International Airport (DIA) today is pleased to announce five new gates, C23 through C27, are operational for Southwest Airlines, reaching an important milestone in the C gate expansion project. Completion of the USD 46 million, 39,000 square-foot extension west of the C Concourse is on schedule for November 2014 and on budget. Meanwhile, gates C28 through C31 will be temporarily closed for renovation, and a temporary bar, coffee shop and merchandise shops are open in the new five gate area. Southwest Airlines plans to relocate their existing two gates on the A Concourse to the C Concourse in November, increasing the airline's overall gate count from 19 to 22 gates.

When the entire expansion is completed in November 2014, the new space will be an airy, light-filled, easy-to-navigate space, and the design approach will reinvent the way passengers experience gate areas at DIA with a mix of urban and natural architectural features, integrated with technology. Architectural references to the industrial history of Colorado's region will be found in materials such as steel beams; a strong unifying element that will be seen in custom pieces such as communal tables, as well as the main architectural feature of all the storefronts.

Paradies - Taste 5280, LLC was selected through a competitive bid process as the concessionaire to incorporate food, retail and technology into the customer experience. Amenities in this new space will feature iPads integrated in custom high top tables, providing an opportunity to order beverages and receive concierge service, or simply to check e-mail, review flight status and catch up on the news. Improved seating choices will include electrical outlets, cup holders and individual tables. The layers of seating elements will be designed with pops of color, while warm wood-look porcelain tiles will ground the center of the concourse in a play on the natural elements found throughout the Rocky Mountain region.

New storefronts will include eSavvy, a partnership with PeachMac featuring popular electronic accessories and devices from the top brands, including Apple; Say Si Bon Marketplace, offering gourmet snacks and news in an atmosphere that evokes a French market; the Coors Silver Bullet Sports Pub, where sports fans will gather to watch Denver's top teams; a full menu of farm fresh offerings from Modmarket; and pop-up concepts such as Colorado's own ink! Coffee, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and creative cocktails from Tapas Sky Bar.

Denver ranks as Southwest Airline's fastest-growing market in the carrier's history. They have grown their business from January 2006, offering 13 daily flights to three destinations, to a network today of more than 165 daily flights to nearly 60 nonstop destinations.