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Woes mounting at Denver airport
By CatherineTsai
Associated Press writer
DENVER -- Grumbling airlines. Angry passengers
stuck in security lines. Questions over contracts for concessionaires. A
lawsuit over mold and sewage.
Years after conquering problems like a luggage-eating baggage system, Denver
International Airport has a host of fresh headaches.
At a "DIA summit" called by Rep. Bob Beauprez, R-Colo., Transportation
Security Administration officials agreed Wednesday to scheduling changes
aimed at shortening the wait at security checkpoints. Airlines will help out
by providing better data on their passenger loads.
But the airport's dominant carrier, United Airlines, is in bankruptcy
proceedings and is negotiating with the airport on its lease. No. 2
Frontier, which wants to add six to 10 gates to the 10 it has, warned it may
set up a hub in another city.
"We're a fast-growing company. We're adding new
routes and customers all the time, and we need the capacity to be able to do
that," Frontier spokesman Joe Hodas said. CEO Jeff Potter said there are no
plans to abandon Denver.
By many measures, the $4.9 billion complex northeast of Denver is light
years ahead of Stapleton International Airport, which it replaced in 1995.
But critics are quick to point out the costs. Last week, DIA finally opened
its last runway -- a $165 million project dropped from the original plan to
save money.
Other headlines of late -- about what DIA spokesman Chuck Cannon calls
"sideline issues" -- haven't been kind:
--Two United workers have filed a lawsuit claiming exposure to mold, fungi
and sewage leaks at the airport since 1995. DIA says repeated tests have
shown no problems.
--A former deputy manger of aviation has filed a discrimination lawsuit
claiming she was demoted because she has no college degree. Cannon said he
could not discuss personnel issues.
--City Council members squabbled over whether airport concessionaires could
renew their leases without fresh bidding. Outgoing Mayor Wellington Webb got
his way, and the leases were renewed.
Cannon called the issues distractions.
"I'm not saying it's not important, but our main job is moving people as
efficiently as we can," he said.
So far, DIA is doing so at relatively high costs that have kept low-fare
Southwest Airlines away since it left Stapleton in the 1980s due to frequent
travel delays.
"Had Stapleton remained open as a commercial airport, we'd probably be there
tomorrow," Southwest spokesman Ed Stewart said. "Costs would have been lower
and it would have been a close-in airport, where you don't have a cab ride
that costs more than our airfare."
Those costs could eventually drive more business to the Colorado Springs
airport, said Michael Boyd, an airline industry analyst with the Boyd Group
in Evergreen.
"That's a challenge, recognizing that Colorado Springs is becoming another
portal to this region," he said.
As for serving passengers, airports nationwide have watched the TSA cut
screening staff because of budget problems. That has led to longer waits for
passengers.
The TSA said it will shift toward using more part-time workers to handle
split peak periods in the morning and afternoon. It has 909 Denver workers
-- 18 part-time -- and expects to trim to the equivalent of 846 full-time
workers by August, said Pat Ahlstrom, acting federal security director for
DIA.
Jennifer Souders of Denver was among about 300 people in line at DIA on
Wednesday, waiting for a 10:55 a.m. flight to Virginia.
"We heard on the news lines would be long," Souders said. "Now I don't know
if we're going to make it."
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