Airlines cancel dozens of flights

Chris Walsh and Fernando Quintero, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 28, 2006 at midnight

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Airlines have cancelled dozens of flights into and out of Denver as another storm pounds the city, creating more chaos at the airport and additional headaches for travelers.

United Airlines has axed 120 flights at DIA between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. but will still try to operate some departures and arrivals tonight. The carrier also is starting to bag some flights on Friday morning, although it currently expects to operate a full schedule by the afternoon.

United operates nearly 900 daily flights into and out of Denver.

Frontier Airlines has axed about 55 departures and arrivals at DIA today, representing 18 percent of its 300 daily flights here. The Denver-based carrier also cancelled a dozen flights Friday. A list of affected flights is available at www.frontierairlines.com.

It might take a day or two to reroute all affected passengers, as many flights are already almost full. Still, airlines say the situation at this point isn’t as bad as last week, when some passengers waited days for an available flight. Although this is a busy time of year, planes aren’t as full as they were last weekend.

Carriers cancel flights early if there’s a good chance they’ll have to do so anyway later in the day, allowing customers to rebook immediately and saving them a trip to the airport. It also allows airlines to leave planes at other hubs so they don’t get stuck on the ground in Denver.

Frontier’s phone lines remain jammed today with customers who waited to rebook flights that were cancelled last week. Many customers are encountering busy signals, as the company’s phone systems can’t handle the influx of calls.

Lines at the company’s check-in counters began building this morning and are several hundred people deep. Some passengers are arriving "seven or eight hours" before their flights to allow plenty of time to check in and get through security, Frontier spokesman Joe Hodas said.

Others who are scheduled to fly out tonight or tomorrow came to the airport early to try to get on an earlier flight. Frontier advises against doing so, despite the fact that it’s difficult to get through on the phone.

"The perception is that the closer I am to the airplane the better chance I have to get out early," Hodas said. "They don’t have a better chance, though."

The carrier advises customers to keep trying its reservations phone number. It’s also asking people not traveling within the next 72 hours to call back at a later time.

Sara Roman was one of those who showed up at the airport early hoping to get rebooked on an earlier flight.

The Lakewood resident is scheduled on a Frontier flight tomorrow afternoon to Texas, where she’s scheduled to depart on a Caribbean cruise. With another storm moving in, Roman hopes to get out today, although Frontier said most of its flights to day are completely full.

"I want to get on that cruise," Roman said.

United’s e-ticket lines were surprisingly light this afternoon. But hundreds of people are lined up at its other check-in counters, which double-backed on each other.

Some United customers also came to the airport hoping to catch an earlier flight after having trouble reaching the carrier on the phone.

Danny Hutchison was near the end of a long United line at around noon, even though his return flight to Phoenix isn’t scheduled to leave until about 5 p.m.

He’s already becoming a veteran of long airport lines. Hutchison’s flight to Denver during last week’s blizzard was cancelled. After waiting in line for more than four hours, he and some other frustrated travelers decided to rent a car and drive here.

"We made the best of the situation," he said. "We actually laughed about it the whole way."

United, which automatically rebooks passengers after a flight cancellation, recommends that its customers click on the "easy check-in" link at www.united.com. The link will provide them with information about their rebooking.

Southwest Airlines said it hasn’t yet canceled service but is keeping a close eye on flights scheduled to land in Denver after 5 p.m., when the storm is expected to pick up.

Airlines began preparing early, hoping to avoid some of the headaches of last week.

United, the dominant carrier at DIA, opened its check-in area at 2 a.m., about two hours earlier than usual. Its counters will remain open for 24 hours.

It’s also putting plans in place to fly workers into Denver from other hubs.

Frontier is preparing to get as many employees out to DIA as possible today and Friday, and it’s trying to strategically position its fleet around the country.

Most carriers are waiving fees for customers who want to rebook. Airlines recommend getting to the airport as many as four hours before departure.

Air travel numbers

To avoid the confusion that plagued passengers during the last storm, travelers are asked to check the DIA Web site first to make sure the airport is open. If it is, they should then go to their airline's Web site for updated flight information.

• Denver International Airport

Phone: 800-247-2336

• United Airlines

Phone: 800-864-8331

• Frontier Airlines

Phone: 800-432-1359

• American Airlines

Phone: 800-433-7300

• Southwest Airlines

Phone: 800-435-9792

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