DENVER (AP) – Cancellations and sporadic delays plagued holiday travel at Denver International Airport on Monday during a record-breaking week of passenger traffic.
Heath Montgomery, an airport spokesman, said 11 flights have been axed because of winter weather in Texas. He said flights could be delayed because of storms interrupting operations at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
“I know there is weather moving through the Midwest, and that might impact some flights,” Montgomery said.
Southwest Airlines and United Airlines were offering to change the itineraries of passengers passing through some airports in the Midwest because of the storms.
DIA estimates it had its seventh busiest day ever on Sunday with 175,000 passengers. This coming Sunday, Jan. 3, is expected to be the second busiest ever with almost 179,000 travelers.
On Monday, about 166,000 people are expected to pass through the airport, well over the 145,000 normally seen.
Montgomery said the high numbers could be to blame for long lines at the airport’s security, which have travelers complaining on social media.
DIA says the Transportation Security Agency is responsible for the lines.
“Not sure if this is TSA or (the airport’s) fault but I’m in LONGEST security line at 12 a.m.,” one woman posted on Twitter early Sunday. “Only one lane open at ONE checkpoint?! HUGE FAIL.”
“Thanks for being prepared for the post-Christmas rush with only two TSA AGENTS,” another said in a pre-dawn Sunday rant. “Loved standing in a two (hour) line and missing my flight.”
Nico Melendez, a TSA spokesman, said his agency was not prepared for the number of flights at the airport because of airlines failing to communicate their needs.
Only one checkpoint was open when there probably should have been three, he said.
“There was some 64 flights that had been added in the late hours of the evening that we had no knowledge about,” Melendez said.
Melendez said TSA is making adjustments over the next few days to prepare for the expected influx of passengers to avoid problems.
Airport officials say travelers might want to arrive earlier than the normally suggested two hours before their flight just to ensure smooth sailing on the way to the gate.
“We don’t necessarily add staff, but we’ll adjust our staffing to make sure we have the people in place,” Melendez said. “We staff to the demand of the flights. We don’t have a stockpile of employees sitting and waiting to go to Denver.”
