Concessionaires argued they needed the extensions because of financial hardships from the delayed opening of DIA and because of the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. Mayor Wellington Webb argued hard to extend the concessions, because of the large number of woman and minority-owned retailers at DIA. Webb likes to point out that there were no minority owned concessions at Stapleton International Airport, which was replaced by DIA in the mid-1990s.
Webb's fear was that if the concessions were put out to bid, large corporations could afford to bid more than minority owners could.
However, many of the airlines that fly at DIA wanted the concessions put to bid. They fear that if DIA can't make its bond payments, it will raise landing fees, making DIA more expensive for airlines.
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