“Making memories” is one of those cheeseball phrases, but it has a solid core: You can often detect, in real time, events that will stick with someone for a lifetime.

That’s easy to see in my kids, who are constantly trying something for the first time, be it a scary movie, a rock concert, or an unfamiliar food. That includes a recent Colorado Symphony performance of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” itself part of a program of early 20th-century American music at Boettcher Concert Hall in late April (and also featuring Britten’s Peter Grimes: Four Sea Interludes and Debussy’s sublime La Mer).

My wife propelled us there on opening night, having long ago linked the song with the romantic days of mid-20th century aviation (the 102-year-old “Rhapsody” is ). It seemed like the right play to introduce my kids to the world of feel-it-in-your-chest orchestral beauty, provided they wanted to go there. Symphonies and the fine arts in general can seem intimidating, but people who embrace them often have a formative, positive experience they can point to.

We had seats more or less behind the soundboard at Boettcher, which ensured a balanced mix in a venue that has occasionally been knocked for its acoustics. The energy in the room crackled compared with some other, also-great early-20th century showcases I’ve seen there (hello, Rite of Spring!) as conductor Peter Oundjian shared his infectious joy in revisiting and leading these iconic pieces.

Grammy-winning pianist Michelle Cann tore up the keys with equal parts passion and precision, tackling Rhapsody’s twisting piano lines like roller coaster turns: fleet and firmly on track. I’d steal looks at my kids and delight in the fact that their faces hadn’t turned to stone; if anything, they were pitched forward, their eyes scanning the dozens of expert players on stage.

“I loved it!” my daughter said afterward. “It was cool,” my son reported, which is about as close to a ringing endorsement as he gives.

Success?

We’ll see. It often feels smug to me when I hear parents crow about introducing their kids to high-level activities (i.e., ones with knowledgeable and refined audiences, be they fine-arts or fitness-related). And certainly, my goal was not to pat myself on the back.

But I also try not to take anything for granted, and I’m thrilled with how engaged the kids were, potentially setting them up for a lifetime of supporting and benefiting from live performing arts.

It’s easy with the Colorado Symphony. The orchestra’s range, enthusiasm, skill and good taste all combined during the “Rhapsody” show to remind me how stage performances can cut through the clutter and connect directly with one’s soul — however young and new to the experience it may be.

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.

United Airlines flight 2408 was scheduled to depart DIA at 5:58 p.m. Sunday, . But passengers exited the plane down airstairs soon after the flight left the Denver airport gate, before the plane took off, United spokesperson Russell Carlton wrote in an email to The Denver Post.

“The aircraft was screened and cleared, and passengers returned to the gate where we provided them with food and water,” Carlton said.

DIA staff and the Denver Police Department both responded to the reported bomb threat, an airport spokesperson confirmed.

Denver law enforcement is working with the FBI to investigate the threat, according to the police department. No additional information about the bomb threat was available on Monday.

“Any threat or hoax threat can potentially be a federal crime, including threats to critical infrastructure such as airport operations,” FBI Denver Public Affairs Officer Vikki Migoya said. “No dangerous materials were located on the aircraft. The investigation into the source of the threat is ongoing.”

None of the 200 passengers or seven United crew members was injured. The plane safely left for the Washington Dulles International Airport at 11:33 p.m. Sunday, Carlton said — nearly six hours after its scheduled departure time.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

Airlines reported 794 flight delays and 30 canceled flights as of 8 p.m., according to the flight tracking site .

Departing planes were sprayed with deicing fluid for most of the day, which wrapped up before 5 p.m., according to the n.

Flight delays at DIA included 242 delays on Southwest Airlines, 225 delays on United Airlines and 189 delays on SkyWest, according to FlightAware. SkyWest canceled 16 flights, followed by Southwest with five cancellations, Lufthansa with four, American Airlines with three and United and Frontier with one canceled flight each.

Cold weather is expected to linger overnight, with thermometers expected to drop to 18 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

One person was injured and a plane suffered “substantial” damage when a United Airlines flight collided with two de-icing trucks at Denver International Airport in March after taxiing without clearance, according to investigators.

The United plane was parked on a de-icing pad when the flight crew heard what they believed to be the de-icing crew wrapping up the task and debriefing, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

The flight crew conducted all post-de-icing checks and received clearance to taxi from air traffic control, the report stated. However, when they started to move, they hit the de-icing trucks, pushing at least one onto its side. At that time, the flight crew was informed by the de-icing team that they had not been cleared to exit the pad and that the plane had hit the trucks, according to the report.

United Airlines initially reported that a de-icing truck had hit the plane.

One truck driver sustained minor injuries in the March 6 collision, which happened at about 10:24 a.m. None of the 136 people on board the Nashville-bound United plane — including pilots, flight attendants and passengers — were injured, according to the report.

The United plane, a Boeing 737, suffered “substantial” damage to the wings, which hit the trucks, according to the preliminary report.

Federal transportation officials said the investigation remains ongoing and involves NTSB specialists, the Federal Aviation Administration and United Airlines.

Companies like Visa and Mastercard charge fees to restaurants and stores every time customers use cards to pay their bills. That fee is assessed as a percentage of the total bill, and it includes sales tax in that total. Businesses collect those taxes and then pass them on to the government.

would generally exempt sales taxes from the swipe fee calculation, a move that supporters say would help save businesses money. It passed the Senate’s on a 3-2 party-line vote, with Democrats in favor.

The bill “addresses a simple question of fairness: Should (businesses) be charged for swipe fees on money that was never theirs to begin with?” said Sen. Iman Jodeh, an Aurora Democrat. She’s sponsoring the bill with Sen. William Lindstedt, a Broomfield Democrat, who also subbed onto the committee for the vote.

The measure would apply to credit card companies and to banks with more than $60 billion in assets. Lindstedt said that amounted to 40 banks and one credit union nationwide. The bill is a narrower policy than — which, among other things, would’ve also applied the swipe fee prohibition to tips.

That proposal passed the state House before dying in the Senate.

If SB-134 passes, Colorado would become one of the first states to adopt a version of the policy. Illinois passed a law prohibiting swipe fees on taxes and tips in 2024. The policy was then challenged in federal court by banks and credit unions, and a judge last month.

As with its predecessor last year, the bill’s supporters find themselves among strange bedfellows. Backers include progressive groups like the Bell Policy Center and the nonprofit law firm Towards Justice, alongside industry interests including the Colorado Restaurant Association, the state brewers guild and major companies like Target and Home Depot.

Supporters argued that the bill would save small businesses money.

“We paid over $62,000 last year in swipe fees, (and) that includes swipes on taxes we cannot keep and on the tips that servers and bartenders take home,” Chrissy Strowmatt, the general manager of Denver’s Blue Bonnet restaurant, testified Thursday. “We need some of that back to be able to literally stay open and employ our 47 employees. Just getting back what is going toward sales tax would be around $6,000 to $7,000 in annual savings that we desperately need right now.”

The bill is opposed by various financial institutions and trade groups, including the Colorado Bankers Association, Visa, JPMorgan Chase and a national coalition of similar companies. It’s also opposed by United Airlines, more than its market cap, according to the Atlantic.

Labor unions tied to the airline industry have also released statements opposing the bill, though the unions have not registered formal positions on it and did not testify Thursday.

Critics said Thursday that the bill’s requirements were technologically unworkable and costly. They warned that, as in Illinois, the bill’s passage would draw swift legal challenges.

“This bill is virtually certain to trigger years of litigation,” testified Ben Metzger, the vice president of strategy for Canvas Credit Union.

While Lindstedt and Jodeh sought to exempt local banks and credit unions from the proposal, representatives from those groups said the financial payment industry was too complex to carve them out. Lindstedt said he was open to additional efforts to ensure that smaller Colorado-based financial institutions wouldn’t be harmed by the proposal.

No one from the credit card companies testified Thursday.

The bill heads next to the Senate floor, where it needs two more votes before it can move to the House. In that chamber, it already has significant backers: Both the House speaker and Democratic majority leader are signed on as primary sponsors.

The incident happened at 8:26 a.m. Friday in the de-icing area of the airport, airport spokeswoman Ashley Forest said. The truck hit a Boeing 737 operated by United Airlines, and the 122 passengers onboard were forced to deplane via stairs, a United Airlines spokeswoman said in an email.

The truck driver was taken to a hospital, according to the airline. No other injuries were reported.

The passengers were traveling to Nashville, Tenn., and were to be placed on a different flight.

Metro Denver weather spotters logged a wide range of , including almost a foot near Floyd Hill, 4 inches in Arvada, 7 inches in Lone Tree, 6 inches in Aurora and 8 inches near Denver International Airport, according to the National Weather Service.

DIA passengers faced a wave of delayed and canceled flights because of the storm, including a Nashville, Tennessee-bound United Airlines flight that was hit by a de-icing truck on Friday morning.

The crash happened at 8:26 a.m. when the truck hit a Boeing 737 carrying 122 passengers, according to DIA and airline officials.

The driver was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries and passengers deplaned via the stairs and were placed on a different flight, a United spokesperson said in an email.

Airlines at DIA reported 1,287 flight delays and 147 canceled flights on Friday, including 459 delayed and 34 canceled United flights; 402 delayed and 14 canceled Southwest flights; and 226 delayed and 92 canceled SkyWest flights.

The Federal Aviation Administration also ordered a ground delay because of the weather, which caused average delay times longer than two hours.

Drivers on the state’s major corridors also encountered transportation headaches on Friday morning when crashes closed sections of Interstate 70, northbound Interstate 25 near the Wyoming border and U.S. 285 near Fairplay.

Most metro school districts operated on normal schedules, though the snowstorm caused Jeffco Public Schools officials to cancel classes at 12 mountain schools on Friday, including Evergreen middle and high schools.

Friday’s storm brought Denver’s first measurable snowfall in nearly six weeks and followed a February that tied for the driest on record, with only trace amounts of snow recorded in Denver, National Weather Service forecasters said. The last measurable snowfall at DIA was 1.8 inches on Jan. 25.

The winter weather is not expected to last, said in a Friday evening update. Temperatures could reach 70 degrees in the metro over the weekend, with unseasonably dry and warm weather set to continue through the coming week.

Airlines delayed or canceled hundreds of flights on Tuesday because of the high winds, with 386 flights delayed and 25 canceled as of 5:35 p.m., according to data from the flight tracking website .

SkyWest reported 119 delays, United Airlines had 100 delayed and 12 canceled flights; and Southwest Airlines had 108 delayed and six canceled flights.

sensors logged sustained winds of as high as 37 mph and gusts up to 47 mph on Tuesday afternoon. Forecasters issued a red flag warning for the Front Range and Eastern Plains because of critical fire weather, including high winds and low humidity.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

Widespread winds over 60 mph swept through Colorado communities east of Interstate 25, reaching 73 mph southeast of Lamar and 72 mph in Cheyenne County, according to National Weather Service reports.

Colorado weather: Strong winds create hazardous driving, fire conditions in southern part of state

Heavy wind and blowing dirt caused a “brown out” on northbound I-25 south of Pueblo at 10 a.m., reducing visibility to “next to nothing” and leading to a crash involving 36 vehicles, State Patrol officials said.

Four people were initially killed in the crash, and paramedics took 29 people to area hospitals, the State Patrol said. Seven people suffered serious injuries and one remained in critical condition Tuesday night.

Wednesday morning, the Colorado State Patrol announced a fifth person had died from injuries sustained in the crash.

Troopers also discovered a smaller, secondary crash on southbound I-25 in the same area that caused only property damage.

A pickup truck hauling a trailer of goats was among the vehicles involved in the northbound crash. Four of the goats were killed, State Patrol officials said, and 28 were removed safely from the crash site.

I-25 was closed in both directions between exit 91 for Stem Beach and Colorado 45 in Pueblo, near mile marker 94, for more than four hours because of the crash, with southbound lanes reopening about 2:30 p.m. and the northbound lanes reopening overnight.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, and the Pueblo County Coroner’s Office will identify the five people killed.

A brush fire that sparked in rural Elbert County on Tuesday quickly exploded to an estimated 5,000- to 10,000-acre wildfire, forcing evacuations for several homes as high winds pushed the flames across miles of short-grass prairie and cultivated fields.

The County Road 169 fire started burning near Matheson, an unincorporated community 17 miles west of Limon, around noon, state fire officials said.

Firefighters from across the Front Range were dispatched to the wildfire as crews battled sustained winds of 35 mph and gusts up to 55 mph.

Fire crews got a foothold on the fire at 5 p.m. and managed to stop forward progress near Colorado 71, which is 15 miles east of Matheson, according to the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.

State officials could not give a more precise estimate of the fire’s footprint Tuesday night because high winds prevented firefighting airplanes from taking off.

High winds also snarled air travel at Denver International Airport, where more than 1,100 flights were delayed or canceled Tuesday.

Airlines at as of Tuesday night, including 61 cancellations and 207 delays on SkyWest, 24 cancellations and 311 delays on Southwest Airlines and five cancellations and 397 delays on United Airlines.

A Federal Aviation Administration-ordered caused departing flights to be 155 minutes late on average, according to an agency alert.

Although the wind forecast sparked concerns about widespread power outages among utility providers, most Front Range companies reported limited power cuts, especially compared with the sweeping public safety power shutoffs that hit tens of thousands of Front Range customers in December.

officials initially planned to cut power to 8,200 customers near Colorado Springs and Pueblo on Tuesday, but conditions improved enough to limit the power cuts to 90 customers in north Pueblo. Power lines were re-energized as of Tuesday night, the utility said in a statement.

Firefighting activity also caused power outages for 136 customers in Elbert County on Tuesday, according to the

Xcel Energy did not institute any public safety power cuts Tuesday, instead using “enhanced powerline safety settings” to make lines more sensitive and able to de-energize when issues are detected.

Xcel’s outage map showed 94 customers without power across metro Denver as of Tuesday night.

Front Range residents can expect breezy conditions to continue Wednesday, with milder winds expected through most of the state, according to the National Weather Service.

A red flag warning for dangerous fire weather remained in effect for Elbert and Lincoln counties until 7 p.m. Tuesday, forecasters said.