Jun. 21--Air travelers may have a difficult time flying out of Colorado Springs on hot days this summer as some aircraft must fly with lighter loads.
The weight restrictions are in place because the airport's main runway is under construction, leaving its two shorter runways available. On hot days the air is less dense, making it harder for smaller aircraft to get enough thrust to get airborne on the shorter runways.
To lighten their loads, the airlines are selling fewer tickets on some flights, diverting travelers to other flights, driving passengers to Denver International Airport or flying their planes with less fuel.
No numbers are available on how many passengers have been inconvenienced, but it is happening regularly because it's been a hot summer, several airlines said.
The operational problems start to occur when temperatures reach 86 degrees, according to airport officials say. Since June 2, Colorado Springs has had 14 days where temperatures reached at least 86 degrees at the airport, according to the National Weather Service in Pueblo. Daily temperatures are normally between 75 and 79 degrees for early-to-mid-June.
Regional jets, which make up about half of all commercial air traffic in the Springs, have the most trouble getting airborne with full loads on hot days. The engines on RJs, which seat about 50 to 70 passengers, aren't powerful enough to overcome the combination of hot air, high altitude and short runways. There is less impact to the full-sized aircraft with more powerful engines.
The airport's main runway, which is 13,500 feet long, is being torn up and replaced because a chemical reaction from a de-icer caused the pavement to crumble.
The airport's shorter runways are 11,021 feet and 8,268 feet long.
Airlines conduct a daily juggling act to reduce the impact to passengers.
They look at weather reports and passenger loads to keep ahead of the situation. They try to put passengers on earlier flights to avoid bumping them later in the day when temperatures rise. Some reroute Springs passengers through other cities to their final destination, putting them on aircraft with larger engines.
The situation could become more difficult during high-volume times, such as the Fourth of July weekend, said Lothar von Wolfseck, American Airlines' Colorado Springs general manager.
Different airlines are dealing with the issue in different ways.
Mesa Airlines, a regional carrier for U.S. Airways, flies its planes out of Colorado Springs with the "lowest amount of fuel to safely and legally operate the flights," said Chris Pappaioanou, director of legal affairs with Mesa Airlines.
This means the flights have enough fuel to arrive at their intended destinations with an hour's fuel to spare.
Some American Airlines non-stop flights to Chicago are refueling at the Omaha, Neb., airport. The pit stop costs American about $84 and about 20 minutes on the ground, according tosaid Stan Kathol, with the Omaha Airport Authority.
So far it has not caused any delays on arrival times, said von Wolfseck said. Still, some travelers are upset.
"I can understand their complaints," von Wolfseck said. "They bought a nonstop flight to Chicago, but they're not getting what they've been sold."
A recent Delta flight from the Springs to Cincinnati had to make a fuel stop in Kansas City, said Delta spokeswoman Gina Loftland.
Other airlines, including Continental and American, are selling fewer tickets to Springs passengers this summer to avoid bumping passengers.
United Airlines, the Springs' largest carrier, with 37 percent of the local market share, declined to comment on how the weight restrictions are affecting its Springs operations.
The additional fuel stops and fewer ticket sales cost the airlines more to fly out of Colorado Springs, according to Springs airport officials say. The airlines, however, declined to provide tallies of the extra cost.
The Springs airport is not losing money because of the changes. Airlines pay the airport the same landing fee no matter how many passengers are on board. The airport does not receive the revenue from commercial carriers fueling up.
The airport does get concerned, however, when airlines drive passengers to Denver to catch another flight, which has happened, said John McGinley, aviation assistant director for operations and maintenance.
"Sure, we are always concerned with people leaving Colorado Springs to fly out of Denver," McGinley said. "In this case, sending passengers to Denver is one of many options we have, but many other options are exercised first before sending people to Denver."
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