Frontier Baggage Concerns Continue Days After Storm
DENVER (CBS4)- Some 48 hours after a snowstorm hit the Denver metro area, hundreds of Frontier Airlines passengers remained at Denver International Airport in search of the luggage.
"It has just been a long day," said Kelly Martin, a Frontier Airlines passenger.
Martin, and her husband Adam, were at the airport for a flight back home. However, their flight was cancelled, and their baggage was then lost upon attempted return.
"I have an 18-month-old. He's been screaming and crying all day," Adam Martin said. "He is hungry, he is tired."
"[Frontier] seems very disorganized. I feel bad for some of these people," said Brooklyn Pacheco, a Frontier passenger.
Pacheco told CBS4 she had been searching for her possessions for more than 12 hours. She said the airline located her suitcases, one of which was destroyed. However, she said the car seats she was traveling with were missing, trapping her at the airport with her kids.
"You can't drive, you can't leave without the car seats," Pacheco said.
A spokesman for Frontier Airlines told CBS4 the delays were due to staff not being able to get to the airport during Friday night's storm. The storm, and lack of staffing, caused hundreds of delays and cancellations.
The airline said they called in extra staff to help clear the baggage claim area. However, some said their 12-hour wait proved there was not enough aid.
"Figure it out. People need to get to where they are going," Kelly Martin said. "I have work to get to tomorrow. I had to get a sub, I can't teach tomorrow now."
Many told CBS4 they would be looking for a different way to travel for the remainder of this holiday season.
"We will get home, but not with Frontier," Adam Martin said. "I think we will stick to driving from here on out."
Frontier Airlines released this statement on Sunday: First of all, we want to apologize to customers who have been affected. We've been working hard to fix the operation.
The focus today is continuing to get bags to their owners. We brought in staff overnight to sort through bags for passengers both in the bag claim area and downstairs where the bags are loaded and taken off planes. We'll continue to bring in additional help today. We suggest that customers fill out a bag claim form on-line and submit it that way. We also have paper copies at DIA. We've brought in extra help to help process all these requests.
Dillon Thomas is a reporter at CBS4 and a Colorado native. He believes everyone has a story, and would love to share yours! You can find more of his stories by following him on Twitter, @DillonMThomas.
