Travel delays snarl air traffic around globe

London-based British Airways said it was focused on getting long-distance fliers on their way first, since short-haul customers had other options available to them, from renting a car to taking a train.

UAL Corp.’s United, by far the largest carrier in Denver, said that by Thursday afternoon it had canceled more than 2,000 flights systemwide, primarily because Colorado got smacked by the most powerful snowstorm it has seen in several years.

“This blizzard is unprecedented, and it’s in our second-largest hub,” said United spokesman Jeff Kovick. “It is completely unprecedented for the airport to be closed for two days.”

United’s nine daily flights out of London were arriving at their U.S. destinations up to an hour late due to the fog in that city that delayed their departures.

Frontier Airlines Holdings Inc., whose hub is Denver, canceled 550 flights.

Even as airline officials and air traffic controllers focused their attention on Denver and London, other parts of the country were dealing with or getting ready for their own dose of untimely bad weather.

In Chicago, fog prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to reduce the number of flights coming in for all airlines at O’Hare International Airport. Kovick said he anticipated delays of more than an hour for United flights at O’Hare. Denver’s problems added to the misery at O’Hare and by Thursday afternoon, more than 100 flights had been canceled.

At San Francisco’s airport, 35 flights to and from Denver were canceled in the past two days, and in Minneapolis weather forecasters were predicting that rain could turn to ice, setting up potential travel delays on Friday.

Most cold-weather airports have runway sensors that detect when the surface temperature is near freezing, so crews can put a de-icing chemical down, said Patrick Hogan, spokesman for Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

“It’s an annual process for us, so we’re ready,” Hogan said. But about 700 old Army cots and newer sleeping pads are on hand in case travelers get stranded overnight, he said.

Hotels and resorts aren’t likely to refund any money to no shows, but airlines are a bit more flexible toward customers whose flights were canceled.

Southwest Airlines Co. said customers stranded because of a flight cancellation can opt for a full refund, or use their ticket to travel within two weeks of their original departure date. United said passengers have until midnight of the day their flight was canceled to make a new reservation at the same price.

Passenger demand is typically light on Christmas Day, but it isn’t likely to be this year, said travel expert Terry Trippler.

If past experience is any guide, Trippler said, “this won’t really be totally untangled until well past Christmas.”

MORE FROM WINTER TRAVEL

Winter Travel Section Front

Mountain resorts redline the fun meter Top 10 black diamond ski runs Amazing adventures America's most dangerous slopes Celebrity winter hideaways Top 10 cities for shopaholics Winter Travel Section Front   Add Winter Travel headlines to your news reader: