and served a “notice of claim” — which must be filed before any official lawsuit can be filed, — to the Denver City Attorney and the Colorado Attorney General on Tuesday, . Courtesy copies of the notice were given to Denver International Airport, the Denver Clerk and Recorder and the Denver Police Department, according to the release.

“Denver International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, and the traveling public has every right to expect that its perimeter — the most basic line of defense in airport security — will actually function,” Ramos Law aviation attorney Joseph LoRusso said in a statement.

Michael Mott, 41, jumped the airport’s security fence late Friday night and walked onto a runway, where he was fatally hit by Frontier 4345 minutes later. The crash, which happened just before 11:20 p.m., sparked an engine fire and created a 4,000-foot debris field, DIA CEO Phil Washington said during a Tuesday morning news conference.

Mott died from blunt and sharp force injuries caused by the plane’s engine, Denver Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Sterling McLaren said. His death was ruled a suicide.

Man killed by Frontier plane at DIA died by suicide, medical examiner says

Twelve people reported minor injuries from the evacuation, and paramedics took five of those to the hospital. Four of the hospitalized passengers had been released as of Tuesday morning, Washington said, but information on their injuries was not available.

The law firms' news release described the crash as "one of the most preventable aviation incidents in recent memory" and said the passengers on board "are now confronting both physical and psychological injuries from that night."

The future lawsuit will seek more than $10 million in damages for alleged failures in the design, maintenance, monitoring and operation of the perimeter security and intrusion-detection systems, according to the law firms. It will also examine alleged "failures to timely notify air traffic control and to halt operations" after the breach, the release stated.

"We intend to find out exactly what failed, who knew about the vulnerabilities beforehand, why they were not fixed, and who knew about the breach and failed to order an immediate ground hold of all aircraft," LoRusso stated.

Denver City Attorney's Office spokesperson Melissa Sisneros said Wednesday that the office had not yet received the notice of claim. The office does not comment on pending litigation, she added. Denver airport and police officials also declined to comment.

Attorneys with the two law firms are demanding that Denver officials preserve all evidence related to the incident and perimeter security at the airport, including surveillance video, sensor data, access control logs, radio and dispatch communications, internal incident reports, training records and records of the applicable policies and procedures.

The Colorado Attorney General's Office did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

The news release from Ramos Law and DJC Law did not specify which agencies and employees will be named in the lawsuit, but said the claim will be amended and supplemented with new information as the investigation into the crash continues.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

Michael Mott, 41, died from multiple blunt and sharp force injuries caused by the plane engine, Denver Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Sterling McLaren said in a Tuesday morning news conference at the airport.

“As a scientific investigation, we can’t really know, really, what someone’s intent was,” McLaren said. “The best way to determine manner is to evaluate the totality of the investigation — scene findings, circumstances and history. Based on all of those findings together, we determined the manner of death to be suicide.”

The fatal crash happened just before 11:20 p.m. Friday, minutes after Mott jumped the Denver airport’s 8-foot security fence topped with barbed wire and walked onto a runway, airport officials said. The collision sparked an engine fire and created a 4,000-foot debris field, Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington said during Tuesday’s news conference.

Mott’s breach of the airport’s security fence and trek onto a runway is an unusual airport disaster, but it is leading the public to raise questions about security around the massive international airport, which is one of the busiest in the world.

“I cannot think of a time when this has occurred,” said Jeffrey Price, an aviation and aerospace science professor at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, who has worked in the industry for decades.

Price said he can’t remember another incident that rises to this level, calling it “extraordinarily rare.” The pedestrian strike has the potential to raise high-level questions about whether safety requirements should be updated at airports across the board, he said.

Los Angeles-bound Frontier 4345 was accelerating for takeoff when it struck and killed Mott. The crash started an engine fire, and the 231 passengers and flight crew on board evacuated the plane via slides.

Twelve people reported minor injuries from the evacuation, and paramedics took five to the hospital. As of Tuesday morning, four of the hospitalized passengers had been released.

The Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Security Administration, Denver Police Department, Frontier Airlines and DIA are all participating in the crash investigation, .

“Safety is paramount in everything that we do,” Washington said. “It is paramount in the aviation industry in general, and it is definitely paramount at DEN.”

A radar system on the fence detected ground movement and set off an alarm at 11:10 p.m. Friday, Washington said. When the operator on duty reviewed the alarm, they spotted a herd of deer outside the fence and did not see a trespasser, he said. The radar had detected the animals and the man.

Minutes after the alarm sounded, the airport was alerted that the pedestrian had been hit on a runway roughly 650 feet from the fence line, Washington said.

“Given the short time period, we were not able to intervene and prevent this person from reaching the runway,” he said.

A gulch between the fence line and the runway may have obscured Mott from the camera’s view, Washington said. The Denver airport’s security team will work to ensure cameras have a clear line of sight in those areas.

Washington said the airport has fielded questions in the days since the crash about why the security fence isn’t electrified, and why razor wire hasn’t replaced the barbed wire on top. The answer is simple — he doesn’t want the fence to be deadly.

Tom Foley, associate professor and program coordinator for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s global security and intelligence studies department, said the preliminary reports on how Mott breached the airport fence do not indicate a security failure at the Denver airport.

“It sounded like somebody managed to get past the gate and they got hit by a plane before anyone could get to them,” Foley said.

Even if the security personnel had seen Mott when the alarm sounded, it still would have taken time to reach him because police officers cannot just start driving across taxiways and runways, Foley said. There’s no direct path from Point A to Point B at a large, busy airport.

“Two minutes is not a lot of time to react and stop this for an airport the size of DIA,” he said.

Trespassers have hopped the fence before, but most have been dealt with quickly and efficiently, Washington said. He did not specify how many such breaches the airport has recorded.

Federal investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are still gathering information about the emergency evacuation to determine whether an investigation is warranted. As of Tuesday morning, they had not yet decided on the investigation, NTSB spokesperson Sarah Sulick said.

NTSB teams investigate civil aviation accidents with “substantial damage to an aircraft” or “serious injuries,” Sulick said. The fatal trespassing incident is a criminal matter and not under investigation by NTSB.

Airport workers examined the perimeter fence after the incident and found it to be intact, Washington said.

DIA’s perimeter fence spans roughly 36 miles, Washington said. It appears that most of the property is surrounded by a chain-link fence with barbed wire laced across the top and slanted toward the outside borders, according to a Denver Post reporter’s drive around the perimeter. Security officers monitor who is coming and going at traffic entry points, which are blocked by gates.

Denver’s airport has six runways, with the longest covering three miles. The pedestrian strike happened on runway 17L, one of the farthest from the terminal.

“There’s nothing out there,” Cary Grant, a retired United Airlines crew member and assistant professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said of the remote runway. Grant flew out of Denver for 23 years.

Grant could not recall another incident where a pedestrian had wandered onto a remote runway and been killed. Typically, people who are killed on runways are airport workers who mistakenly get in the way of a plane on a busy ramp, he said.

Crashes and injuries are more common — though not routine — on taxiways and near the gate area, Price said. There are people towing planes, directing traffic and transporting luggage, a lot more moving parts, he said.

“The runways are such a protected environment at airports,” Price said. “Everyone knows you don’t go out there without proper clearance.”

FAA requirements only specify that the airport must provide “safeguards to prevent inadvertent entry to the movement area by unauthorized persons or vehicles” and “reasonable protection of persons and property from aircraft blast,” . TSA requirements are more extensive and are airport-specific.

On average, perimeter fences are required to reach minimum heights of 6 to 8 feet with barbed wire at the top, Price said.

“It¶¶Ňőap basically whatever TSA says it should be for that airport,” Price said. “DIA’s required height is in their Airport Security Program, which is a protected document. I do know they meet the standard, though, or else TSA wouldn’t allow it.”

Climbing the fence is not that difficult, Price said. It is designed as a deterrent and a delaying measure to stop people from accessing planes before airport officials can respond.

Grant said he once was on board a United flight that hit a coyote on a DIA runway. Security fences are designed to prevent deer and other wildlife from accessing the airport grounds just as much as people, he said.

Some airports exceed TSA’s standards, but most simply meet the minimum requirements, Price said. Installing taller fencing around airports’ miles-long perimeters is “extraordinarily expensive” compared to how infrequently incidents occur, he said.

“It simply does not happen often enough to justify the expense, at least not yet,” Price said.

As for solutions, Foley, the global security expert, said he did not have an immediate, easy fix that could prevent people from wandering onto DIA’s runways. Security personnel will need to evaluate the risk, the likelihood of it happening again, and the expense of higher fencing.

Denver International Airport’s team could decide to move the perimeter fence further away from the runways, giving security more time to respond. But that would depend on how much land the airport owns and what the expense would be, he said.

Passengers on Frontier plane that killed man on DIA runway intend to sue, law firms announce

"It might just be a risk you have to live with," Foley said. "I wish I had a quick and dirty answer to say, 'Oh, you can do this and it will never happen again,' but it's not that simple."

Some people on board expressed concern about the evacuation, including being stuck in the plane for several minutes as smoke filled the cabin and being left on the tarmac in the cold once they were out. Videos posted to social media also showed passengers coming down the emergency slide with what looked to be their carry-on bags and backpacks.

Pre-flight instructions from airplane crews always include a reminder to leave personal belongings behind during an evacuation, Grant said.

"What do people do? They grab their carry-on and head to the slides," he said. "That¶¶Ňőap where they get hurt. It slows the evacuation, and there’s an increase in the likelihood of getting injured.”

Deciding to evacuate is always a tough call, he said. Experience and research show that keeping people on an airplane often is the safest option.

"The crew has to use their best judgment," he said.

Washington called the actions of the Frontier pilot and crew "exceptional."

"This could have been far worse," he said. "We are indebted to their professionalism."

The magazine was found as the Phoenix-bound flight prepared to take off from DIA, Frontier spokesperson Rob Harris said in a statement. The plane was scheduled to depart at 8:08 p.m. Sunday.

“As a matter of precaution, passengers were deplaned and rescreened,” Harris said. “The aircraft also underwent a security sweep with no additional findings.”

Harris said investigators believe the magazine belonged to a law enforcement officer on a previous flight, who likely left it on the plane.

Airport officials responded to the “security incident” to investigate, but no injuries were reported, an unidentified DIA spokesperson stated.

Neither the airport nor the airline has said where or how the gun magazine was discovered, or how it made it onto the plane.

Gun parts — including magazines, clips, bolts and firing pins — are prohibited in carry-on baggage, but may be transported in checked baggage, .

TSA officials did not respond Monday morning to requests for comment.

The delay caused the crew on to exceed their duty time, and passengers were rebooked on an early Monday flight, Harris said.

That plane took off from DIA just before 6 a.m. Monday and landed in Arizona shortly before 7 a.m., .

Frontier’s latest security incident comes just days after a pedestrian jumped the Denver airport’s perimeter fence and was killed by a departing plane from that airline. The National Transportation Safety Board was collecting information Sunday to determine if an investigation into the plane’s emergency evacuation after the fatal crash was warranted.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

The pedestrian, who has not yet been publicly identified, jumped the Denver airport’s perimeter fence and walked onto a runway, . Frontier flight 4345 hit the pedestrian during takeoff just minutes later, at approximately 11:19 p.m. Friday.

“We have not yet launched an investigation into the emergency evacuation,” NTSB spokesperson Sarah Taylor Sulick said in an email to The Denver Post on Sunday. “We are waiting for more information about the injuries sustained by some passengers to determine if it meets the criteria for an investigation.”

NTSB teams investigate civil aviation accidents with “substantial damage to an aircraft” or “serious injuries,” Sulick said.

A “serious injury” is as one that requires hospitalization for more than 48 hours within seven days of the incident or involves bone fractures, internal organ damage, second- or third-degree burns, severe hemorrhages or nerve, muscle and tissue damage.

Airline officials said 224 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated from the Los Angeles-bound flight. Of the 231 people on board, 12 reported minor injuries and paramedics took five of those to local hospitals, according to airport officials. Additional information about the nature of their injuries was not available.

“We know there are questions to be answered still,” said in a statement Sunday.

Airport officials are coordinating with law enforcement to confirm information about the crash and determine what can be shared, Washington said.

“This was a horrible and preventable tragedy that has affected many due to the actions of one person who apparently trespassed at an airport and lost their life as a result,” Washington stated. “Safety is paramount in everything we do in aviation, and at DEN, we want to make sure we have all the facts before information is released.”

No updates on the injured passengers’ conditions and whether they were injured by the engine fire or the evacuation process were available on Sunday.

A spokesperson for Frontier Airlines said NTSB investigations into airline incidents are “standard practice” and that the airline “will welcome and fully cooperate with any potential investigation.”

“We’re stopping on the runway,” the Frontier pilot can be heard telling the tower in an air traffic control recording on ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The air traffic controller responded that they were “rolling the trucks” before the pilot told the tower about “smoke in the aircraft” and plans to evacuate passengers onto the runway.

Some people on board expressed concern about the evacuation, including being stuck in the plane for several minutes as smoke filled the cabin and being left on the tarmac in the cold once they were out. Videos posted to social media also showed passengers coming down the emergency slide with what looked to be their carry-on bags and backpacks.

“As we were lifting off, the engine of the plane exploded. There was so much smoke we couldn’t even see 1 ft in front of us,” passenger Jacob Athens wrote in a Facebook post, adding that passengers had to wait for more than an hour on the runway.

Nikil Thalanki that he felt “this jerk” as the plane was about to take off, adding that it felt like the wheels had left the ground but then came back down.

“There was fire on the engine. There was lots of sparks that are happening. Immediately came to a stop,” Thalanki said. “As soon as we saw the sparks on the flight, smoke filled the cabin completely. It was super hard to breathe.”

Kimberly Randle said passengers were panicking and desperate to get off the aircraft.

“In a few minutes, they finally opened the door. People were running to get out of the plane,” he said. “It was chaos everywhere.”

The pedestrian killed in the crash will be identified by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner. The only detail released about the pedestrian’s identity as of Sunday was that investigators do not believe the person worked for the airport.

The NTSB has for years expressed concern about evacuations, especially passengers leaving with their carry-ons. In an April report on the evacuation aboard a United Airlines flight at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, the NTSB described a troubling scene.

Passengers last year from the jetliner after an engine problem during takeoff caused smoke and fire on the right wing.

Despite the flight attendant telling passengers to remain seated, several began shouting, “fire on the engine, let me get out!” That triggered “widespread panic” and prompted many passengers to get up and start retrieving their belongings. Some climbed over seats and began obstructing the aisle.

Three large men insisted the evacuation occur, pushing past a flight attendant and going down a slide before it had fully deployed — causing it to deflate and become unusable.

“Cabin crew training emphasizes assertive command presence and passenger control during evacuations; however, this event demonstrates how rapidly escalating passenger behavior can affect evacuation dynamics even in the absence of confirmed fire or smoke conditions,” according to the report.

The incident in Denver came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident or the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. “We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Emergency crews responded to the airport at 11:19 p.m. after during takeoff, DIA officials said in a statement early Saturday.

Denver Fire Department crews quickly extinguished the engine fire on the Airbus A321, and passengers evacuated the plane via slides. Twelve people reported minor injuries, and five were taken to the hospital, according to the airport.

A video on social media showed the Los Angeles-bound flight speeding up for takeoff before the collision, then a loud noise as flames and debris are seen outside the plane, near wing and engine.

Airport officials said the pedestrian, who has not been identified, jumped over a perimeter fence about two minutes before the crash. DIA officials do not believe the person was an airport employee.

Airport workers “examined the fence line and found it to be intact,” DIA leaders said on X at 7:31 a.m.

Air traffic control recordings confirmed the crash and engine fire, according to the site .

“We’re stopping on the runway,” the pilot told the control tower in the recording. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The air traffic controller responded that they are “rolling the trucks now” before the pilot told the tower about “smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines Flight 4345 hits person on runway — Engine fire reported.

ATC Audio:
• “Tower, Frontier 4345, we’re stopping on the runway.”
• “Uh, there we just hit somebody… we have an engine fire.”
Crew reports 231 souls on board + fuel…

— SLCScanner (@SLCScanner)

There were 223 passengers and seven crew members on the Frontier flight, and most passengers were taken to the terminal by bus and have since left on a different Frontier flight, DIA and airline officials said.

One of those passengers, Victoria Lohman, she heard a “huge bang” as the plane was going down the runway.

“Everyone got really frightened, and understandably so,” she said.

Another passenger, Jacob Athens, posted a video showing people sliding down with their backpacks. He also posted photos of what looked like a damaged engine.

“As we were lifting off, the engine of the plane exploded. There was so much smoke we couldn’t even see 1 ft in front of us,” Athens said on his Facebook page, adding that passengers had to wait for more than an hour on the runway.

Denver police said the crash is under investigation, and no additional information was available as of Saturday afternoon.

The crash did not appear to impact other DIA flights on Saturday, with only 113 delays and reported by airlines on FlightAware.

Airport officials notified the National Transportation Safety Board about the collision and said runway 17L reopened as of 11 a.m.

NTSB spokesperson Sarah Taylor Sulick said the agency is coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration, airport authorities and local police to gather information about the crash. The FAA also confirmed an investigation.

U.S. released a statement about the crash on X, stating that “no one should EVER trespass on an airport.”

The crash comes one day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport in Florida. In a statement, Delta officials said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

U.S. airlines spent an additional $1.8 billion, or 56% more on fuel in March than they did in February, according to the . Some of that reflects higher seasonal demand, but it is mostly about higher fuel prices.

With both Iran and the U.S. blockading the Strait of Hormuz, the passageway where a fifth of global oil exports flow remains plugged up.

Denver-based Frontier Airlines, in its latest earnings report, told investors that its fuel costs in the first quarter averaged $2.88 a gallon. They are expected to average closer to $4.25 a gallon in the second quarter, assuming the conflict doesn’t heat up again.

The nearly 50% surge could push the share of fuel costs to total operating expenses from just under a quarter to nearly a third, wiping out any expected profit margin.

“In response to the fuel spike, we have taken decisive action to adjust capacity, fares, and ancillaries,” CEO Jim Dempsey told investors on a call Tuesday. Dempsey predicts that the airline will be able to claw back only 35% to 45% of its extra fuel spending via higher airfares and cost-cutting.

Unlike traditional airlines that have the cushion of higher-margin business class seats or that can trim extras like meals, ultra-low-cost carriers like Frontier already run lean. Their selling proposition is affordability, and it is being challenged.

“You can’t significantly increase the fare of customers who chose you specifically because you were the cheapest option,” said Arif Gasilov, an energy regulatory analyst with the Gasilov Group in New York.

Frontier, Avelo Airlines and other low-cost carriers have asked the , which U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has rejected so far.

Frontier expands routes, will cut less profitable ones

Dempsey took over from longtime Frontier CEO Barry Biffle in December and has unwound some of his more aggressive expansion plans. The timing is coincidental, but also fortuitous.

So too has been the May 2 shutdown of Spirit Airlines, formerly the chief low-cost rival of Frontier. Spirit executives said their restructuring plan failed because of an unanticipated $100 million spike in fuel costs in March and April.

Dempsey said Frontier saw a “significant revenue intake” over last weekend as travelers scrambled to rebook. The two carriers had more than 100 routes in common, representing about a third of Frontier’s total capacity.

Frontier has targeted former Spirit customers, offering them a SAVENOW promo code for half off on base fares through May 15. That code can also be used by regular customers.

Going forward, Frontier said it would add nine more routes and 15 additional departures across 18 key Spirit markets like Orlando, Las Vegas and Detroit.

The near-term surge aside, Dempsey’s longer-term game plan involves cutting less profitable long-haul routes, such as those out of New York’s JFK, and focusing on shorter and more profitable regional routes.

As spring break flyers heading to Florida found out, the airline’s options out of Denver were thinner than a watered-down poolside piña colada.

Frontier is also returning two dozen A320neo planes it was leasing ahead of schedule, and it is pushing back the timeline for accepting 69 Airbus deliveries until 2031 and beyond.

Higher costs passed on to consumers

Everything is connected in today’s world. Increased fuel costs impact maintenance and other vendor costs. Those are passed on along with higher jet fuel costs to consumers, said Kshitiz Saini, a commodity manager with a major U.S. carrier.

“To offset this, carriers often adjust pricing on unbooked inventory to recover some of the unexpected losses or introduce additional fees, such as for checked baggage,” he said.

Like Gasilov, Saini, an aviation supply chain expert, said ultra-low cost carriers are especially vulnerable to fuel spikes in part because they rotate their aircraft more heavily, leaving them more susceptible to any disruptions.

“Any delay or operational issue can quickly increase costs, which, when combined with rising fuel prices, puts additional strain on their business model,” he said.

The inflation Frontier has faced to fill up its tanks is a little bit less than what consumers are facing. The statewide price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline in Colorado has shot up from $2.78 a gallon in late February to $4.41 a gallon on May 5, a 58% increase, according to AAA.

But there’s a big difference. An A320neo needs about 6,300 gallons of fuel to get full, while a Ford F-150 takes about 23 to 36 gallons.

United, Southwest were having a good year before conflict started

Frontier is the third-largest airline operating out of Denver International Airport, responsible for nearly 10% of the passengers carried. United Airlines is the largest, with about half of the traffic, while Southwest Airlines has about 30%.

“We have demonstrated quarter after quarter that we are built to withstand disruptions, and this moment is no different,” said United CEO Scott Kirby in an April 22 earnings release. “We’ll stay nimble in the short term while continuing to grow the airline and invest in our customers, product and people.”

United Airlines had its best first quarter demand-wise in its history and was coming off a strong 2025, where it and Delta Airlines accounted for all of the domestic airline industry’s profitability.

Like at a lot of airlines, things were looking up this year. And then they weren’t.

In a March 20 letter, Kirby tried to reassure employees that while the blow of higher fuel prices was severe, customer demand was holding up.

“The reality is, jet fuel prices have more than doubled in the last three weeks. If prices stayed at this level, it would mean an extra $11 billion in annual expense just for jet fuel,” he wrote.

As a point of comparison, he noted that United’s most profitable year generated under $5 billion in net income.

United had built up three times the cash balance it had heading into the COVID shutdown, and it ended 2025 with the highest credit rating it had seen in three decades.

“That means that higher oil puts a lot more stress on United’s competitors and that stress happens faster. We have the time and the luxury to ride this out and stay focused on the long term,” Kirby said.

Like Frontier and United, Southwest Airlines executives described a year that was going well before the conflict started.

“But for fuel, everything is on track. The only change is fuel, which is a significant headwind,” said Southwest Airlines CEO Robert Jordan during an April 23 earnings call.

Southwest had expected jet fuel prices to average $2.40 a gallon in the first quarter, but saw them rise to $2.73 a gallon in anticipation of the conflict. The Dallas-based carrier expects its fuel prices to average around $4.10 to $4.15 per gallon in the second quarter.

Will customers stay home because of fuel costs?

Jordan and Dempsey have both pulled back guidance for the rest of the year, given the added uncertainty around fuel costs. Another big unknown is how consumers will respond as inflationary pressures squeeze their spending.

Mark Zandi, chief economist with Moody’s Analytics, estimates that higher gasoline prices have drained $23 billion directly from household budgets since the war started. And those costs will seep into everything from the price of groceries to what Amazon needs to charge to deliver its packages. And yes, into airfares.

A sustained 50-cent increase per gallon in jet fuel prices can wipe out the quarterly profit of a 100-plane fleet, and add $20,000 to the cost of a cross-country flight, said Eliot Vancil, CEO at Fuel Logic, a Dallas firm that helps airlines with fuel deliveries and logistics.

“The fuel surcharge usually appears within one month of a fuel spike and the price per ticket usually ranges from $15 to $40,” Vancil said. Another strategy is to raise the cost of baggage fees. Vancil thinks those could go up around $10.

Unlike Europe and Asia, which rely heavily on oil coming out of the Middle East, the U.S. is more insulated. Prices are higher, but shortages aren’t forecast, although supply could get tighter in California, Oregon and Washington than in other states.

Goldman Sachs, , estimates that commercial jet fuel inventories in Europe could dip below a critical 23-day threshold next month. That will trigger more intense rationing, such as flight cancellations beyond the 20,000 already announced through October, and retroactive surcharges on already purchased tickets.

Asia could cross the same threshold later in the summer, given its smaller refinery capacity and even heavier reliance on Gulf petroleum.

Why 23 days? Goldman Sachs notes it is because of a technical issue at play that limits the supply left after a required buffer to six to 10 days of usable fuel within tanks.

Most fuel storage tanks have floating roofs, which puts them in danger of collapse or an explosion if levels drop below 20% of capacity. Put another way, the needle on the fuel gauge can’t run too low without damaging the tank. That essentially locks up 20% of the supply.

Before things get to that point, regulators in Europe and elsewhere may shut down airports and force additional flight cancellations. That could upend the plans of many who have already booked their trips.

S&P Global Energy expects that if Hormuz were to be reopened, another seven months, likely more, would be needed to restore upstream production, assuming no permanent damage and supply chains operate smoothly.

Higher fuel costs and higher air fares may linger long after the Iran conflict cools down.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines claimed the top spot, a milestone that resonates in the Mile High City, where the carrier has steadily expanded its footprint at Denver International Airport. Hometown carrier Frontier Airlines tied for last with American Airlines.

The WSJ analyzed nine major U.S. airlines using seven metrics, including on-time arrivals, flight cancellations, delays of 45 minutes or more, baggage handling, tarmac delays, involuntary bumping and passenger complaints.

While Southwest didn’t dominate every category, it delivered strong results across the board, according to The Journal. The airline had the fewest customer complaints and tarmac delays, and was second best in on-time arrivals and the rate of canceled flights.

The ranking marks Southwest¶¶Ňőap first win on WSJ’s scorecard since 2020, ending Delta’s four-year streak at the top. Its weakest showing was fourth place in baggage handling.

The airline’s performance carries particular weight at DIA, where Southwest has been a major presence for nearly two decades.

Southwest at the airport on Jan. 3, 2006, with 13 daily departures to three destinations including Chicago-Midway, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

In June 2025, Southwest celebrated the grand opening of its at DIA. The nearly 30,000-square-foot warehouse features six loading docks, large storage areas throughout the facility and twice the amount of cooler space than previously available for refrigerated products.

“As one of DEN’s largest carriers, Southwest is a critical member of the DEN family— connecting the Mile High City to dozens of destinations,” said DIA CEO Phil Washington in a news release about the opening.

“Now, beyond passenger travel, the opening of an expanded cargo facility showcases an even greater commitment and bond between Southwest Airlines and DEN.”

Other Southwest infrastructure investments in the Denver area include an off-airport training center as part of the Colorado Aerotropolis, a 100,000 square foot general-use building that houses its provisioning team and ground support equipment team, and a maintenance hangar, which opened in 2022, to support technical operations in Denver and the western United States.

Outside the top spot, budget carrier Allegiant ranked second for overall best, followed by Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines and Spirit Airlines, with United and JetBlue close behind. American and Frontier tied for last place, WSJ said, because of significant reliability problems, with American’s cancellation rate rising to 2.2%. Denver-based Frontier ranked last in four of the seven categories, with its best showing coming in mishandled baggage, where it placed third.

The poor ranking followed a turbulent year that included a rejected second bid for Spirit Airlines, a sudden leadership change in December, and a few high-profile incidents involving Frontier flights connected to Denver and other cities.

Representatives from American and Frontier did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.

The company’s president, James G. Dempsey, was named as interim CEO as the board seeks a new leader, according to an announcement made after the close of stock trading on Monday. Biffle will stay on as an adviser through the end of the year.

“Jimmy has been an invaluable member of Frontier’s senior leadership team for more than 10 years and has played an instrumental role in the company’s evolution and growth during that time,” said Board Chairman Bill Franke. “We believe Jimmy is uniquely qualified to guide our airline into the future.”

Biffle joined the Denver-based airline in July 2014 as president, leaving behind a job as the chief marketing officer at Spirit Airlines, a leading ultra-low-cost carrier at the time. He was promoted to CEO in March 2016.

Frontier’s owners at the time, Indigo Partners, gave Biffle the task of converting Frontier into an ultra-low-cost carrier. And Biffle added his own colorful flair to the task.

The airline attracted customers with low fares, and then tried to convince them to pay extra for bundles that included additional services. Biffle beefed up the company’s loyalty program. He significantly expanded the airline’s route network, focusing on underserved secondary markets as well as a handful of international destinations. Earlier this month, Frontier Airlines , with fares starting at $39 each way.

He placed one of the country’s largest orders ever for the Airbus A320neo, ordering 134 jets in a bid to significantly improve the fuel efficiency of Frontier’s fleet, something the airline heavily marketed.

Biffle navigated the turbulence of the pandemic, but Frontier struggled to maintain consistent profits in the years that followed, despite innovations like the GoWild! Pass, which Frontier rolled out in 2023 as a way to put bodies into surplus seats for customers willing to pay a flat membership fee and book last-minute.

“The Board of Directors is deeply appreciative of Barry’s leadership and dedicated service to Frontier over the past 11 years. We thank him for his many contributions during his tenure,” Franke said.

No reason was provided for Biffle’s departure, but the company’s stock performance provides some clues. Since it went public again in April 2021 at $19 a share, Frontier Group’s share price has fallen 70%. And shares, which closed at $5.76 on Monday, are down nearly 19% this year.

The company’s operating margins, after swinging positive last year, moved into the red again this year. After generating a net income of $31 million last year, Frontier lost $190 million in the first nine months of the year.

Dempsey came to Frontier Group from Ryanair Holdings PLC, an Irish ultra-low-cost carrier known for its strict financial discipline. His background in finance and accounting contrasts with Biffle’s expertise in marketing and growth focus, which makes it likely that some belt-tightening is in store next year.

As for timing, year-end is a popular time for corporate boards to part ways with their CEOs. Through October, there have been 1,760 CEO departures, according to the .

Biffle now joins that list.

But the impacts of the government shutdown at DIA and other major hubs across the country were raising questions about how much pain from the political impasse over health care costs will be foisted on millions of Americans planning holiday travel.

If the jacks up flight reductions from the originally planned 10% to 20%, as U.S. Transportation Secretary on Friday, the travel disruption “would be felt by local economies, as well as passengers,” DIA chief executive Phil Washington said. “There’s also risk of people choosing not to fly.”

DIA managers deployed extra volunteers to help guide travelers through this weekend. Airlines canceled 75 flights in and out of Denver on Friday, and another 60 on Saturday, according to the tracking system.

Airport officials still were waiting Friday evening for a response from the FAA to their humanitarian request — made before Trump administration officials ordered flight reductions — for permission to use local airport revenue to cover federal air traffic controllers’ wages until the shutdown ends.

Colorado’s senators and representatives in Congress on Friday sent a to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, referring to controllers’ “fatigue” from staffing shortfalls and urging immediate approval of DIA’s “commonsense proposal that provides a temporary lifeline” for workers who ensure safety in the skies.

“This is unprecedented, asking this of the FAA. So I can understand they may have never seen this sort of thing before. But I hope they understand the humanitarian urgency for these people who have not been compensated,” Washington said in an interview.

“We are all concerned. We’re concerned about our passengers who are frustrated. We’re concerned about our controllers, the Transportation Security Administration agents, and the Border Patrol folks. We’re very concerned that this might continue. We are the type that looks to do something,” he said.

Airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights nationwide on Friday alone to comply with FAA instructions requiring a 4% reduction by Sunday, then increasing, subject to FAA orders, to reach 10% by Nov. 14. F

AA officials this week said the reductions are necessary to ensure airspace safety due to the government shutdown that has forced essential federal employees to work without pay. Duffy told reporters he may increase flight cuts to 20% if airspace conditions worsen and federal air traffic controllers don’t show up to work.

The cuts were kicking in at 40 major hubs across the country, including in New York, Washington, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Airlines officials have said they’ll try to minimize pain for travelers, allowing re-booking at no cost. United Airlines, the largest carrier at DIA, was targeting so-called “regional” flights while trying to preserve high-volume hub-to-hub and international flights. at DIA on Friday averaged around six minutes.

Arriving home in Colorado from Las Vegas, frequent flier Cheryl Gray, 69, said she and Steve Friedberg, 62, encountered no problems on their Frontier Airlines flight and that they’ve been thanking TSA screeners for their work.

“If there was a problem, we would have rented a car and driven. You have to make lemonade out of lemons,” Gray said, waiting for her baggage. “It¶¶Ňőap a tough situation. Everyone needs to make some accommodations. The Democrats are pushing this pain out to the people.”

San Francisco-based software engineer Ethan Uzarowski, 26, who landed at DIA on his way to Copper Mountain for skiing, said he’s worried most about air traffic controller staffing shortages.

“I am not glad that the government is shut down and that people are having problems with flights getting canceled. I don’t know why the government is still shut down. I put my full trust in the airlines and the FAA. But I hope they will pay the air traffic controllers,” he said, supporting DIA’s push to cover the wages if necessary for those federal workers in towers directing planes.

“Thank you to the people up there, working without pay in air traffic control. Get their rent paid. Get food on their tables while they’re not getting paid.”

Frontier Airlines flight attendants told Nashville police the woman wasn’t allowed to fly because of how drunk she was, her arrest affidavit stated. The airline employees asked her to leave the plane multiple times, but the woman refused, allegedly saying, “I have a (expletive) bomb, so nobody is going anywhere.”

When police tried to remove the woman from the plane, she planted her feet behind the seats in an attempt to anchor herself. She then repeatedly yelled, “It’s right there,” in reference to the supposed bomb, according to her arrest affidavit.

The incident delayed the Denver-bound flight by more than two hours, according to .

Nashville police arrived at the boarding gate at about 7:50 a.m. Tuesday, 20 minutes after the flight was originally scheduled to leave Nashville for Denver. The plane eventually departed just before 9:45 a.m. Tuesday.

All passengers were temporarily deplaned while law enforcement searched the airplane out of an abundance of caution, according to a statement from Frontier Airlines spokesperson Rob Harris.

No bomb was discovered, and the passengers were able to reboard and complete their trip to Denver safely, Harris said in the statement.

The woman faces charges of public intoxication, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and false reporting, .