Flights for Summer 2024 Trip to Colorado

For 2024’s Labor Day Weekend, I made a short trip to Colorado climbing some of the state’s mountains. This post would be about my flights back and forth, taking advantage of Southwest’s unbelievable flight deals.

Overlooking Denver Airport after Takeoff

Ticketing

While searching for destinations for this year’s Labor Day weekend, I came across a promotion by Southwest Airlines offering 50% off base fare on select routes and dates. It seemed to me that this was Southwest’s reaction to some negative press about its financial situation. This promotion was valid on the Thursday before and the Tuesday after Labor Day, where a roundtrip to Denver only cost me $133. Despite having visited Colorado twice in the previous two years, the abundance of mountains in the state meant I could hardly run out of ideas for outdoor adventures. With that in mind, I crafted an itinerary, and that’s how this trip came together.

Southwest Airlines Flight WN3731 from Boston to Denver

Unfortunately, my schedule for the day meant I had to attend a zoom meeting in the airport. It forced me to set off early for the airport, but it probably also helped me avoid the rush hours of airport security. This time, I arrived at the airport at 2:30pm and cleared security in 6 minutes.

After the video conference, I learned that the inbound aircraft was slightly delayed, which meant I had time to check out the PPS restaurant (Stephanie’s) in Boston’s terminal B for an early dinner (p2 below). As a result, I boarded the flight feeling satisfied and relaxed.

Then it’s the actual boarding time. For reasons I couldn’t quite comprehend, the gate agent asked group A people to wait in line long before the deplaning process was completed. (Weirdly, that made me feel glad I wasn’t in group A.) On the flip side, after doing so, the gate agent probably realized people didn’t like to stand waiting, so she paused the boarding process between groups to allow the jet bridge to clear (a thoughtful touch that few gate agents in the US would consider).

Southwest Airlines 3731
Boston, MA (BOS) – Denver, CO (DEN)
Boeing B737-800 (N8669B)
Seat 25F
Scheduled Departure – 4:30pm
Actual Departure – 5:31pm
Scheduled Arrival – 6:55pm
Actual Arrival – 7:29pm
3 hours and 58 minutes

Here’s GPS tracking:

And here’s a video of the takeoff:

Click here to display photos of the slideshow

Southwest B738 (N8669B) at Gate
My plane to Denver.

Early dinner
From the PPS restaurant Stephanie’s, their signature burger.

Islands in Boston Harbor

Cape Ann Peninsula

Merrimack River

Manchester Airport

Connecticut River
The boundary of New Hampshire and Vermont.

From the flight path above, it seemed that we deliberately took a detour over the midwestern states to avoid some weather systems. That could be related to the thick clouds I saw outside the window (p4 below).

Click here to display photos of the slideshow

Indiana Harbor in East Chicago, Indiana

Distant Chicago
It being so far away, only the contours of its skyline were vaguely visible.

Drink and Snack Service

The Maui Monk pretzel braids were only offered on long distance routes by Southwest, and was arguably the best plane snack I had had for the year.

Shadow of Clouds over Midwestern Farmland
A very obvious contrast.

Omaha on Missouri River

Fields outside Denver

With the delay, we landed in Denver just minutes before sunset, as I watched the soft twilight colors extending over the endless farmlands over the horizon. Here’s a video:

After that, I grabbed some food in the airport (the second part of my dinner), then headed to the hotel and called it a day.

 
Denver Union Station

To avoid the airport surcharges, I chose to get rental car near Denver’s Union Station for this trip. That meant I used Denver’s RTD to travel between the airport and Union Station, and caught glimpses of this newly renovated train station along the way. Most of the current building were hotel rooms and restaurants, with train ticketing relegated to a small corner. Probably because of that, the building felt niche and stylish.

Southwest Airlines Flight WN3994 from Denver to Boston

Fast forward to Tuesday September 3. Just like my outbound flight, my schedule required me to take a video conference at the airport. This time, I arrived at the airport so early that I had to wait a bit before Southwest was willing to take my checked bag 3 hours before departure.
Speaking of video conference, Denver Airport was probably the most accommodating of all the airports that I’d visited. Each of its satellite concourses featured a mezzanine level above the tram station and food courts, that were largely unoccupied (apart from a few janitor closets). They were ideal spots for speaking freely without disturbing anyone. (The same mezzanine level was also useful for ultra-frugal travelers trying to catch some sleep in the airport.)

My credit card granted me access to Capital One’s Denver lounge. Not unexpectedly, there was a waiting list, which was estimated to be 60+ minutes long. But in the end, I only waited for about ~30 minutes (a large portion of which overlapped with my video conference). Once inside, the lounge was very similar to the one in Dallas, though I found the food offerings less appetizing during this visit (p1-2 below).
Somehow, both of my flights in this trip used gates at the far end of concourse C in Denver, essentially the furthest gates in the airport. Along the way, the only consolation was the fashionable interior of the newly expanded concourse (p3-4 below).

Click here to display photos taken in Denver Airport.

Food Offerings in Capital One Denver Airport Lounge
Frankly, a bit underwhelming.

Food Offerings in Capital One Denver Airport Lounge
Frankly, a bit underwhelming.

Denver Airport Concourse C Interior
This was the Concourse C expansion that was completed in May 2022, looking sleek and modern.

Denver Airport Concourse C Interior
This was the Concourse C expansion that was completed in May 2022, looking sleek and modern.

Southwest B38M (N8869L)
My plane to Boston.

One disappointment: with Southwest’s open seating, I walked past a few rows with dirty seats and floors to reach my seat for this flight. It’s as if the plane was never cleaned during its turnover in Denver.

Southwest Airlines 3994
Denver, CO (DEN) – Boston, MA (BOS)
Boeing B737-Max8 (N8869L)
Seat 26F
Scheduled Departure – 5:35pm
Actual Departure – 5:57pm
Scheduled Arrival – 11:35pm
Actual Arrival – 11:22pm
3 hours and 25 minutes

Here’s GPS tracking:

Here’s a video of the takeoff:

Unlike the earlier days of mountaineering on this trip, I took it easy today, so I wasn’t tired for the flight. As a result, I spent most of the flight watching videos and movies. This kept me awake, allowing me to capture the following photos of several notable cities we flew over.

Click here to display photos from the flight from Denver to Boston.

Planes in Line for Takeoff

Lincoln, Nebraska’s Airport

Chicago Suburb

Downtown Chicago

Detroit Suburb

Downtown Detroit

Albany, New York

Finally, we landed in Boston slightly early, and I got my checked bag 17 minutes after our gate arrival. After that, I hailed a rideshare back home, marking the end of the trip.
END

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