Last year Denver International airport closed for 45 hours when a blizzard descended on our nation’s 6th largest airport. Now the airport and the airlines that operate there would like you to know that they’ve made a lot of changes.

“No plan is guaranteed to trump Mother Nature,” said John Kinney, DIA’s deputy aviation manager. “But had we had the equipment lineup and the changes we’re talking about in place (last winter), we likely would’ve had less than a 10-hour closure.”

The airport says it simply didn’t have the manpower, or the equipment to keep the runways clear, says MSNBC. Last year, 4,000 flights into and out of Denver were canceled due to weather. The airport blames post-9/11 budget cuts for the lack of manpower and equipment.

“There were a variety of dynamics going on . . . and the dots weren’t connected,” DIA’s Kinney said. “In the post-9/11 environment, uncertainty reigned. Fiscal conservation was paramount, and we had had mild winters. We were lulled into a false sense (of security). We didn’t feel it was an issue that needed to be addressed, given the very limited financial resources available.”

Will you try to avoid connecting in Denver this winter?

DIA aims for no meltdown this winter [MSNBC]
(Photo:fortes)

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