Denver International Airport to be impacted by reduced air traffic
Mackenzie Stafford
DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) – CNN reports that starting Friday, the Trump administration will reduce flights at 40 airports nationwide if the shutdown continues.
One of the airports included is the Denver International Airport (DIA). While the Colorado Springs Airport isn’t as busy as some of the other major hubs, travelers might not be able to catch their flight back.
One Colorado Springs man, KRDO13 spoke with, is flying out to visit family Thursday night. He packed his patience as he heads to one of the major airports facing cuts.
“Well, I showed up early today for concerns of TSA, and of course, everyone flying out of Phoenix all the way back. But I’m even more concerned about getting back on a regular time,” shared Brad Griebenow.
Legally, if your airline cancels, they’re required to give you your money back. If you’re worried about that Thanksgiving trip, some airlines are even offering refunds if you choose not to fly.
The looming cuts have also imposed a burden on travel agents who are now working to ensure their clients’ travel plans are in order.
El Paso County native Donna Evanoika has traveled the world. She’s gone everywhere from Africa to Paris. Now it’s her mission to help others see the sights. But as the shutdown continues, air traffic controllers aren’t getting paid. Evanoika empathizes with the federal workers, understanding how tired they must be, and yet they still show up.
To keep travel safe, the FAA is scaling back flights by 10%. And Donna’s making sure her clients still make their trip a reality despite looming delays and cancellations.
“Our agent is going to be constantly monitoring these changes as we are as an office, through this, government shutdown, it’s not only affected that it’s affected the workers in the airport. We are also doing TSA and state fingerprints here, and the domino effect is hitting us now, a month later, because people aren’t going to work,” explained Donna Evanoika.
Evanoika is the president of Travel Leaders Colorado Springs. She tells KRDO13 they have made a file with all their clients’ upcoming flights and are tracking the delays and cancellations. Evanoika says since the moment they heard the news of the FAA scaling back, they immediately started preparing and looking for backup flights for their clients, so they can help to find them a new flight the moment they learn of a cancellation or delay. She says she’s grateful the FAA is keeping safety the number one priority. Evanoika said they’ve already had to move some trips around, including flights for a wedding this weekend.
“10% is still a lot. And it’s not Thanksgiving yet. However, it’s going to still affect a lot of people who are traveling. Delays, cancellations, long layovers, and unexpected overnights,” said Evanoika.
At Travel Leaders, Evanoika said they’re there to help travelers navigate these disruptions. She says they will help to monitor flights, handle problems before you know they’re there, and connect with their contacts to fix issues as soon as possible. She says they also provide on-trip coverage to help protect clients if they run into problems while on their vacation.
“Americans work really hard to get their vacations. And the last thing that you want to do, spend your vacation worrying, okay, that’s what we do. Believe me, we know how. We don’t worry. We just take action. So you don’t worry so that you can have a good trip,” shared Evanoika.
She recommends being prepared for the unexpected. Some tips Evanoika provided are to bring extra medication, tissues, chargers, and batteries in case you have an unexpected overnight delay or need to extend your trip due to a cancellation.
The Colorado Springs Airport sent KRDO13 the following statement regarding the 10% reduction in air traffic:
Colorado Springs Airport is aware of the FAA’s recent announcement regarding a planned 10% reduction in air traffic across the 40 U.S. Department of Transportation’s identified airports. We are actively monitoring the situation for changes within the national airport system. Once more information is released, we will assess any potential impact to our flight schedules. We advise that travelers should check directly with their airline for the most up-to-date information. Additionally, we recommend allowing extra time at the airport ahead of any scheduled flights.