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December 20, 2006
Denver's Blizzard Causes Aspen Ski Resort Flights to be Cancelled
Below is a press release just issued by United Airlines regarding travel waivers now being offered to passengers scheduled to fly to or through Denver either today or tomorrow.
For those who have not been following the news, the entire Denver Metro area is now under a blizzard warning, I-70 is now closed from Denver to the Kansas border, and United Airlines has cancelled all remaining flights into Denver through midnight tonight and along with quite a few into tomorrow, as well... more than 800 inbound and outbound flights total.
Of course this also means that all 13 scheduled DEN-ASE flights have also been cancelled, along with the six flights scheduled to fly between Denver and Eagle. With just 3/4 mile visibility currently at the Aspen Airport, conditions are also below the required 2 miles minimum visibility needed to land here, so remaining flights that are now airborne from Salt Lake City and Chicago are being diverted to Grand Junction.
There is some good news in that there is currently more than 10 miles visibility at the Eagle County Airport, and with the exception of the flights from Denver, all other flights scheduled to arrive there are still operating on-time. The weather is also fine in Grand Junction, and all their flights are also operating on-time. But the reality is there are no more available seats on any flights into either airport at this point until Sunday at the earliest.
So the fact is that there are going to be at least 1,000 guests scheduled to arrive for their holiday today, most of whom have prepaid for their lodging tonight, who are not going to be able to get here as planned, and may not be able to for some time.
We have already learned that like United, some properties here are allowing guests to move their dates subject to availability. I would strongly urge your property to be prepared for a deluge of such inquiries today, along with a lot of no-shows tonight. It goes without saying that we are all going to be dealing with some very frustrated guests these next couple of days. I just wanted to remind everyone that how they get treated by their first point of contact at our resort here either today or when they finally arrive is going to create a very lasting first impression.
If any other noteworthy developments occur, I will be sure to pass them along. Meanwhile the reality is that we are facing a near complete shut-down of the primary transportation link into this resort just prior to our busiest week of the year with no back-up alternatives even physically possible at this point.
-Bill Tomcich
United Airlines Offers Advice to Customers Affected by
Denver Snowstorm
Check flight status before going to the airport; for customers who would like to change travel
plans, United is offering a waiver from December 20-21
CHICAGO, Dec. 19, 2006 - To support and serve customers better, United Airlines is offering
advice for customers who are traveling through Denver during the winter snowstorm.
Check flight status before going to the airport
Winter storms in the Denver area may cause flights to be delayed or canceled. Customers can
minimize possible inconvenience by checking the status of their flights at united.com or calling
1-800-UNITED-1 (1-800-864-8331) for automated, up-to-the-minute flight arrival and departure
information before leaving for the airport. To receive United's automatic updates via mobile
phone, e-mail or pager, register for United EasyUpdate complimentary service at united.com.
If customers would like to change travel plans, United is offering a waiver
For customers currently traveling to, from, or through Denver who would like to make one
change to their return trip, rules and restrictions regarding standard change fees, advance
purchases, day or time applications, blackouts and minimum or maximum stay requirements
have been waived.
Customers who have not begun travel to, from, or through Denver may make one change to their
travel plans without change fees or advance purchase requirements for the same itinerary. For a
new itinerary, they can make one change without change fees. Rescheduled travel may be
subject to higher fares if it does not meet original rule and booking-code restrictions or is a new itinerary.
This ticket wavier is available for customers traveling to, from, and through Denver: These
revised policies apply to all tickets purchased Dec. 19 or earlier, for travel between Dec. 20 and
Dec. 21, to/from/through Denver on any United, United Express, TedSM or United code-share
flight. Origin and destination cities must remain the same.
Customers with already canceled flights are eligible to apply for a full refund.
All changes must be made by midnight of the customer's original travel date. Customers may
make these changes by calling United reservations at 1-800-UNITED-1 or a travel agency.
United will continue to monitor the situation and adjust ticketing policies as necessary.
About United
United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAUA) operates more than 3,700* flights a day on United, United
Express and Ted to more than 210 U.S. domestic and international destinations from its hubs in
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C. With key global air rights
in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Latin America, United is one of the largest international
carriers based in the United States. United also is a founding member of Star Alliance, which
provides connections for our customers to 841 destinations in 157 countries worldwide. United's
more than 55,000 employees reside in every U.S. state and in many countries around the world.
News releases and other information about United can be found at the company's Web site at
united.com.
*Based on the flight schedule between May 1, 2006 and Dec. 31, 2006.
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Posted by efullerton at December 20, 2006 01:32 PM
