Major Snowstorm Leads to Hundreds of Flight Cancellations at Denver International Airport
ICARO Media Group
In response to a powerful snowstorm hitting Denver, nearly 808 flights have been canceled at Denver International Airport (DIA), with about half of them being arrivals and the other half departures. According to Stephanie Figueroa, an airport spokesperson, the majority of these cancellations were made proactively by the airlines on Wednesday evening to ensure passenger safety.
Despite the heavy disruption caused by the storm, DIA is currently in good shape, with all six runways fully operational and flights continuing to take off and land as scheduled. Figueroa mentioned that the airport is relatively peaceful at this time.
Among the airlines affected by the cancellations, Southwest Airlines has the highest number, with 316 flights, accounting for approximately 40% of their Denver traffic. Following closely is regional airline SkyWest, which canceled 199 flights, equivalent to 75% of their Denver traffic. Frontier Airlines has canceled a staggering 124 flights, which represents 91% of their Denver operations. United Airlines has canceled 78 flights, constituting 12% of their Denver traffic.
Several other airlines have also experienced significant disruptions. CommuteAir and Mesa Airlines have each canceled 30 and 29 flights respectively. Furthermore, Volaris and AeroMéxico have both canceled all of their flights to and from Denver. American Airlines, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Alaska Airlines, and British Airways have also reported multiple flight cancellations.
Aware of the impending snowstorm, Southwest and United airlines issued travel warnings in advance and are offering their customers the flexibility to rebook their flights. United customers who purchased their tickets on or before Sunday and were scheduled to travel on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday can reschedule their trips without incurring any fees or fare differences until March 19. Southwest customers are allowed to rebook or travel standby within two weeks of their original travel date without any additional charges, according to the airlines' alert.
Passengers are advised to check with their respective airline for updates on their flight status before heading to the airport during this period of inclement weather.
Overall, the efforts made by the airlines and airport authorities to prioritize passenger safety during this major snowstorm have resulted in a relatively well-managed situation at Denver International Airport.