Nationwide air travel disruptions are hitting especially hard at Denver International Airport, where hundreds of stranded United Airlines travelers slept on cots overnight and United flight cancelations over two days reached 157 in addition to 798 delays.
Travelers flying in and out of DIA on Tuesday faced a total of 262 delays and cancellations as of 12:30 p.m., according to the FlightAware tracking service.
On Monday, United led all airlines nationwide with 1,212 delays and 583 cancellations, FlightAware data show. That included 93 cancellations and 244 delays at DIA – which on Monday had 554 flights overall in and out of the airport that were canceled or delayed. On Tuesday, United canceled 64 flights in and out of DIA and had 165 flights delayed, the data show.
United Airlines officials on Tuesday issued a statement blaming the weather. “Recurring thunderstorms in the Northeast have made airline operations very challenging. We know our customers are eager to get to their destinations. Our teams at airports and our contact centers have been working significant overtime to restore the reliability our customers depend on,” United’s public relations team wrote.
United’s chief executive Scott Kirby estimated that more than 150,000 United customers nationwide have been affected in recent days. In a memo to United East Coast employees on Monday, Kirby pointed to Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control staffing problems as a driver of travel disruption. Kirby told employees he is “frustrated” and that “the FAA frankly failed us” by reducing airport arrival and departure rates — troubles “compounded” by bad weather.
Ranked as the world’s third-busiest airport for passenger traffic with 69.3 million travelers a year landing, taking off, or connecting, DIA stands out as a key hub as the robust and traditionally jubilant summer travel season begins.
But the scene early Tuesday included hundreds of cots where frazzled travelers slumped overnight in the airport.
“This issue is a United issue,” DIA spokeswoman Ashley Forest said.
United Airlines officials provided the cots for stranded travelers, Forest said.
And United officials “asked Denver to assist by giving out our own blankets to those who needed them.”
