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Denver International Airport hit plenty of turbulence over the last week. After a Colorado snowstorm had snarled traffic the previous Friday, DIA reported 725 delays and 138 cancellations on March 16 and another 397 delays and 35 cancellations the next day, most attributed to extreme winter weather conditions on the East Coast.
But DIA’s problems on March 18 can all be blamed on the Denver airport itself (with an assist from Xcel), since an electrical outage hit at 9:20 a.m., stopping all the trains and creating other challenges; the FAA issued a ground stop just over an hour later. Although that was soon lifted, it wasn’t before thousands of travelers had gotten stuck waiting for a train that could take them to or from concourses B and C — which, unlike Concourse A with its skybridge, have no other way to reach the main terminal.
And the airport is expecting more big crowds this weekend, as spring break continues. But in hundreds of comments left on the Westword Facebook post of the news, readers focus on Wednesday’s mess…and similar messes they’ve encountered at the airport. Says Bill:
I was there and it was crazy. No walkway to B or C terminals. This was the challenge. Breezed through security in like fifteen minutes. Waited two hours to get on the train to Terminal B. Flight was delayed due to the flight crew also being stuck with us.
Adds Olivia:
We were at our gate on Concourse C by the time the power went out. Toilets didn’t work and all the shops closed their gates. It was about forty minutes until it came back and they could load our flight. We were short 22 people who were stuck in the trains and they held the flight for them. All in all, we were only late by an hour. TSA, by the way, was a breeze: only ten minutes.
Offers Krista:
I got stuck in the mess of it all waiting for the trains to start back up for over an hour… I saw so much kindness from people despite the situation. It really stuck with me how people handled themselves. I had kids and a dog with me and had many people offering to help, offering my kids treats when they were starting to lose it, etc. Really made the whole thing not seem as miserable as it could have been.
Comments Eleni:
DIA is an absolute cluster if the power is out and trains are down. There’s no walkways between two of the most high-traffic terminals, so you have to ride the train and generally it’s my type of hell. but being stuck there is a special kind of hell.
Responds Dustin:
I’ve had this happen to me twice over the past ten years. Train system works well until it doesn’t. Backup plan is busing folks from B and C back to the main. If you are in A – just walk back. It’s not a pleasant experience.
Recalls Christopher:
When that airport was built, they were warned that by the ATL designers to have a walkable tunnel alongside the tracks…..but noooooooo. it was deemed too expensive and not needed.
Responds Mary:
This happens a lot… and yet DEN still hasn’t come up with a Plan B. Billions have been spent on remodeling the main terminal, and even new trains. And yet… not a single dime has been spent on a backup plan when the trains to concourse B and C are down.
Notes Iverson:
What looks like “just” 531 delays on a stats page is actually weddings missed, funerals rescheduled, visas blown, deals lost. We underestimate how deeply these infrastructure failures cut into people’s lives.
Concludes Alysha:
I mean, you guys love to run down the rabbit hole of all the conspiracy theories at DIA. So maybe it was a ghost. Or maybe someone from the undergroun tunnels snuck up when nobody was looking and hit the breakers. Orrrrr, it could be Indian paranormal activity .
What do you think of the recent problems at Denver International Airport? DIA in general? Post a comment or share your thoughts at editorial@westword.com.
