DIA Reopens, Was Shut Down For Only The 3rd Time Ever
DENVER (CBS4) - For only the third time in the airport's history, Denver International Airport totally shut down on Wednesday due to the spring blizzard. It reopened and resumed flight operations at 7 p.m.
Winds blowing snow at up to 50 miles per hour made it too dangerous for planes to take or land at DIA, which led to officials closing the airport around midday. But the problems started even earlier when a power outage meant planes couldn't refuel.
The security lines were literally empty as Transportation Security Administration employees weren't even stationed because of the closure. That made for massive lines at ticket counters and restaurants.
Pena Boulevard was totally closed for much of the day but outbound Pena reopened just after 3 p.m. That meant people who flew into DIA were able to start heading to their Colorado destination.
"We had a lot of vehicle spinouts; we're making sure that Pena is clear for the snowplows, getting the snowplows onto Pena and making Pena safe for people to travel on," DIA spokesman Heath Montgomery said.
PHOTO GALLERY: Spring Blizzard 2016
Inbound Pena reopened just after 5:30 p.m. meaning passengers could get picked up.
"I've never been stranded like this before. The worst experience was like a thunderstorm, but not the snowy, icy conditions like this," a woman said. "I'm really surprised they let us land, to be honest with you."
One man tried to get on seven different flights but all of them got canceled.
"I'm on the 11:15 a.m. tomorrow, so I'm hoping to get out of here," he said.
Most of the passengers CBS4 spoke with said they've been rebooked on flights Thursday morning.
The only other times DIA closed was in 2003 and 2006, when a blizzard closed it for two days.
DIA officials told CBS4 they wanted to thank everybody for being patient.
