Well, Duh...

It comes as no surprise to virtually anybody who was affected by the blizzard that hit Denver, CO last month -- not only in Denver, but around the country -- that the Mile High City and its airport were not prepared to take on a storm of such monumental proportions.

A preliminary report on Denver International Airport's (DIA) response to last month's blizzard says, get ready, "the airport wasn't ready for a storm that big and the problems will cost tens of millions of dollars to fix." This, according to The Denver Post.

DIA, for those who did not pick up on the round-the-clock news storm coverage and its impact, was closed for 45 hours beginning December 20. More than 2,000 flights were canceled and some 4,700 travelers were stranded.

Not to be caught in a similar circumstance, DIA officials hired a consultant to review the airport's performance. Tim Phillips' preliminary report noted that DIA had the equipment and staff to keep two runways open during a storm with six to eight inches of snow over 12 hours. DIA receives an average of 60 inches of the white stuff annually.

This storm wasn't about to go by the books, however. It dumped 20 to 22 inches over 34 hours. And with a blizzard, comes winds. Winds up to 40 mph piled the snow four feet and more. By the afternoon of December 20, airport officials halted operations.

"We had zero visibility, blowing snow and 40 mph winds," said DIA aviation manager Turner West. "It was not safe."

When the airport re-opened at noon on December 22, the damage had already been done. United Airlines lost $30 million in passenger revenues from that blizzard and the one that followed a week later. Frontier Airlines lost $13 million. And thousands of people around the country felt the impact, as reported by ANN.

Phillips' report also includes an assessment that DIA's snow-removal plan for the critical ramp area between concourses was understaffed, under-equipped -- and inadequate for a snowfall above four inches on the ramp. Snow, of course, needs to be removed to allow planes access to their ramp gates.

Additionally, because of the amount of snow, the airport had to truck it to more remote sites in order to clear critical areas, as its usually area for snow dumping was lost to... snow.

Phillips' preliminary report recommends in the future, DIA use large, industrial snow melters -- similar to systems at Chicago's O'Hare airport -- that can melt up to 600 tons of snow an hour and be placed near ramp area storm drains.

He also recommended that DIA purchase high-speed multifunction snow-removal machines that combine plowing, sweeping and snow blowing in one unit.

FMI: www.flydenver.com, www.criticalpathinc.com