DIA, del-i-cate-ly.

• Author: Rundles, Jeff
• Position: New lease for Denver International Airport - Brief Article

"These things must be done delicately ..."

--THE WICKED WITCH OF THE EAST

WHEN I GOT TO THINKING ABOUT THE CITY OF DENVER negotiating with United Airlines on a new lease for Denver International Airport, l couldn't help but think of this line from "The Wizard of Oz." The way Margaret Hamilton, as the Wicked Witch, drew out the word "del-i-cate-ly" and, of course, the sinister undertones, somehow conjure up United Airlines in my mind. Perhaps it was that "customer service" representative I encountered last time I was in the friendly skies, the time I got the distinct impression I was to be carried to my destination by flying monkeys.

Denver International Airport has, of course, turned out a lot better economically than many people thought it would, myself among them, and I give much of the credit to our immediate past mayor, Wellington Webb. Webb's a tough guy, as he proved on several occasions at the helm in Denver, and this attitude served us well--with the airport, the convention center hotel, Winter Park, just to name a few.

But there is a new game in town, and the stakes are high at DIA. United Airlines and the city both want a new lease. But after that fact is stated, the desires of the two parties diverge.

United, the bankrupt airline, wants a more controlling position at the airport. It wants the city to build it new gates and new access, and it also wants to limit what its chief rival, Frontier, can get from the city. You can't blame United for taking that stance: More control over the airport and less for Frontier, means that United can get more market share and charge more money to passengers at DIA.

That, however, is the problem.

The city, with a fledgling--dare we say neophyle--administration, might be viewed by the 600-pound flying gorilla as especially vulnerable at this moment, It's no secret that United wasn't getting very far with the lame-duck Webb, so there was no harm in waiting for the new visitor to Oz. If United balks on its commitment to Denver or, heaven forbid...