600 Flights Canceled At DIA Due To Storm

DENVER (CBS4) - Approximately 600 flights were canceled at Denver International Airport on Friday in the middle of a heavy snowstorm.

The airport remains open and some travelers were still making their way in and out of Denver despite the storm. An average of about 1,700 flights come in and out of Denver on an average weekday at time of year, according to airport officials.

Southwest Airlines said at 7:30 a.m. all of their flights in and out of DIA would be canceled through 4 p.m. Friday. Southwest officials said they would plan to make another announcement about possible closures after 4 p.m. at midday.

The airport released a statement about the closures late in the morning, which included the following points:

- We are still encouraging passengers to check with their airlines for the most accurate flight status information.

- Airlines will be in full de-ice mode throughout the storm, which can result in some additional delays after aircraft push back from their gates.

- Airport pavement surfaces, including Peña Blvd., are mainly wet with some slush and light snowpack in spots, but are largely in good shape right now.

- Anyone driving to and from DIA today should give themselves plenty of extra travel time and should drive with caution.

- Because there is plenty of hotel availability in the Denver metro area, we did not see a large volume of passengers stranded at DIA and don't expect that to change today. However, if we do get into a situation where we see a lot of stranded passengers in Denver, we are prepared to assist them with blankets, water and other help. Many of our concessionaires are making plans to stay open later than normal, and in some cases 24/7.

For drivers heading to the airport, the driving conditions were slow but not impossible, CBS4's Suzanne McCarroll reported.

There were multiple tow trucks stationed at various points along Pena Boulevard and dozens of plows are working to keep the road clear.

Watch McCarroll's report from DIA Friday afternoon in the video clip below:

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