ReportWire

Tag: Denver flights

  • Why landing at Denver International Airport can be extra turbulent

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    DENVER — Friday’s strong winds made for a bumpy start to the December holiday travel season at Denver International Airport.

    FlightAware reported more than 1,200 delays at DIA Friday—the most nationwide—along with more than 80 cancellations.

    FlightAware

    DEN led FlightAware’s ‘Misery Map’ tracking delays and cancellations at U.S. airports on Friday.

    Daniel Katz flew in from South Florida, trying to get to Steamboat Springs for two weeks of skiing and holiday fun. But his connecting flight was delayed several hours, leaving him stranded at the airport.

    Katz also said the turbulence was pretty rough on his way into Denver.

    “The turbulence was crazy,” he said. “My mom was holding on to me and, like, freaking out. And I said, ‘Everything will be okay.’ I made a quick prayer, and we landed fine.”

    Aviation expert Steve Cowell knows strong downslope wind days like Friday aren’t fun for passengers or pilots.

    “You’re sitting there in the cockpit, you know, and things are rattling around, and it’s just, it’s just an uncomfortable situation,” he said.

    Local

    Hurricane-force winds barrel through Boulder, toppling trees & closing roadways

    Cowell likened air flow over the Rocky Mountains to water flowing over rocks in a stream, saying that unpredictable movement can lead to turbulence even on days without extreme winds.

    “We live in a place where, you know, sometimes it’s just not comfortable in departing and arriving,” he said. “That’s just the way it is, and that’s because of the terrain.”

    Several pilots reported moderate-to-severe or even severe turbulence Friday.

    The Federal Aviation Administration defines turbulence as ‘severe’ when it “causes large, abrupt changes in altitude and/or attitude. It usually causes large variations in indicated airspeed. Aircraft may be momentarily out of control.”

    Cowell says those reports can be subjective, but valuable to pilots when they take several reports into account.

    “Depending on those reports, that may determine whether they divert, that may determine whether they delay their flight, that may determine the speed that they’re going to descend,” he explained.

    Cowell added while that level of turbulence is still not enough to damage a plane, pilots try to take off and land into the wind when possible, and nasty crosswinds take away some runway options for take-off, leading to lots of delays.

    DIA expects more than 750,000 passengers to pass through security at the airport from through next weekend, with the busiest travel days projected to be Dec. 23, Dec. 27 and Dec. 28.

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    Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Ryan Fish

    Denver7’s Ryan Fish covers stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in covering artificial intelligence, technology, aviation and space. If you’d like to get in touch with Ryan, fill out the form below to send him an email.

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  • ‘We need a paycheck’: Colorado TSA officer’s concern grows as shutdown continues into third week

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    DENVER — As the government shutdown continues into its third week, Denver7 is hearing from Colorado federal employees who say they’re growing extremely concerned.

    Angela Grana, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at the La Plata Airport in Durango and the regional vice president for AFGE TSA Local 1127, spoke with Denver7 in her personal capacity Friday. She said she’s worried about her fellow officers and how they’ll pay for everyday expenses, with no end to the shutdown in sight.

    “I’m nervous. I’m nervous for my fellow employees, I’m nervous that their funds are running out,” Grana said. “I don’t know how they’re going to pay for their child care. I don’t know how they’re going to pay for their gas and their food to get to work. It’s getting difficult. It’s getting harder and harder, and… my hands are tied.”

    Denver7

    Pictured: Angela Grana, a TSA officer at the La Plata Airport in Durango and the regional vice president for AFGE TSA Local 1127

    Grana has been a TSA officer at the La Plata Airport for four years. She told Denver7 her concern started to grow after the shutdown surpassed the two-week mark.

    “We need a paycheck. We don’t need a rain check. We need a paycheck,” she said. “We were paid up through the 30th. The end of the week will be Saturday — tomorrow — and it’ll be an 80-hour paycheck with no funds.”

    Grana said the stress of the shutdown is only compounded by other job stressors.

    “We’re looking for things that go bomb, bash, boom, right? We’re looking for explosives. We’re looking for dangerous items,” she told Denver7. “We’ve got a lot of stress on our plate. In the back of our mind is, ‘How are we going to pay our rent? How am I going to pay my child care? Oh, my God, I’m hungry.’”

    Grana’s concern comes after multiple days of exorbitant delays at Denver International Airport, much of which were caused by bad weather, though it’s unclear if they all were.

    Denver7 reached out to TSA, asking if any employee callouts contributed. A TSA spokesperson said in a statement, “TSA has not experienced any delay in operations due to callouts and remains fully capable of facilitating safe and secure travel for passengers.”

    Denver7 also reached out to officials at the Denver International Airport, inquiring about the hundreds of delays. In a statement, a spokesperson attributed the “periodic disruptions” to weather and said most delays were 30 minutes or less.

    • Read the full statement below

    DEN experienced a few, periodic disruptions this week, mostly due to morning fog and evening thunderstorms in the area (typical of this time of year), however most delays were 30 minutes or less. For context, delays over an hour are considered notable for DEN operations as the likelihood for lingering impacts and recovery of aircraft backups increases.

    DEN has support staff and volunteers throughout the entire airport to assist passengers by providing general airport information. We also have our Canine Airport Therapy Squad (CATS) team to help ease passenger stress.

    Travelers are always encouraged to check with their airlines for information on delays.

    Grana told Denver7 she’s encouraging her coworkers and union members to continue showing up to their scheduled shifts.

    “I know it’s difficult,” she said. “We’ll get through this, we have to. We’ve done it before. We’ll do it again, and this is just another stepping stone in our careers for working for the federal government.”

    Grana’s ultimate hope is that the shutdown ends soon.

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    Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Veronica Acosta

    Denver7’s Veronica Acosta covers stories that have an impact in all of Colorado’s communities, but specializes in reporting on immigration and wildfire management in our state. If you’d like to get in touch with Veronica, fill out the form below to send her an email.

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