Eyes on Airlines as Another Denver Snowstorm Predicted

Trying to avoid last week's travel nightmare, airlines say they will call in more employees and proactively cancel flights if needed during this week's snowstorm.

"All eyes are on Denver right now," said Megan McCarthy, a spokeswoman for United Airlines. "We're trying to see what Round 2 will look like."

United, the dominant carrier at DIA, was to open its check-in area at 2 a.m. today, about two hours earlier than usual.

It's also putting plans in place to fly workers into Denver from other hubs.

The carrier is waiving fees for customers who want to rebook.

The waiver applies to those traveling to or from Denver through Saturday.

United plans to operate a full schedule today but will be "tracking the storm very closely," McCarthy said.

Frontier Airlines is offering similar waivers through Saturday for customers who want to change their flights.

It is discouraging people from coming out to the airport to try to fly standby, though.

The carrier is preparing to get as many employees out to DIA as possible today and Friday, and it's trying to strategically position its fleet around the country.

"We're going to be looking at our aircraft and deciding where we want those planes," said Frontier spokesman Joe Hodas. "Last week we ended up with too many in Denver."

Frontier is still handling a crush of calls from passengers looking to rebook tickets or request refunds in the wake of last week's blizzard. Some customers were still unable to get through on Wednesday.

Carriers recommend getting to the airport as many as four hours before departure.

INFOBOX

Air travel numbers

To avoid the confusion that plagued passengers during the last storm, travelers are asked to check the DIA Web site first to make sure the airport is open. If it is, they should then go to their airline's Web site for updated flight information.

* Denver International Airport

Phone: 800-247-2336