DENVER — Security wait times at Denver International Airport on Wednesday night were non-existent. It is not much a news story when someone or something does the job they are supposed to do. Which is probably why any story about airports is often when something has gone wrong.
Over the weekend, a “software problem” caused issues with baggage handling causing thousands of checked bags from not getting put on flights with the passengers who brought them.
On Wednesday afternoon, DIA CEO Phil Washington gave members of a city council committee an update on what happened this weekend and future changes in the coming years.
“In many ways, we are rebuilding this airport,” Washington said.
Anyone who has traveled through DIA knows that. The Great Hall project, to move security to the top level, began in July 2018. Just last month, one of the two security checkpoints finally moved to the sixth floor.
Even with the modernized checkpoint, security lines wrapped around the terminal early last week.
“We do not control [the Transportation Security Administration] as you know, however, we are working with them to, hopefully, increase the TSA headcount at DEN,” Washington said, using the airport’s Federal Aviation Administration code – DEN.
In an interview with 9NEWS following his presentation, Washington said that there are fewer TSA agents today than pre-COVID.
“The authorized head count right now is about 941 agents. It was, like, 1021 in 2019,” Washington said.
Since DIA does not control the TSA, how does Washington reduce security wait times? He said withholding funding was not an option.
“Tough love is explaining to TSA that impact of short staff for our airport,” Washington said. “When we have delays in Denver, it impacts the entire country.”
Washington also brought up the trains between the concourses. Last month, there were problems with the trains again, that caused backups in the waiting areas. Earlier this year, DIA had to use shuttle buses to get passengers from the A Concourse to concourses B and C.
He said that as the airport gets closer to 100 million passengers, it will need to expand access to the existing trains by adding a fifth and sixth entry door, to allow for additional train cars.
“It’s almost like rush hour. Sometimes you go out there on the highway, and sometimes it’s crowded at rush hour and sometimes it’s not,” Washington said.
DIA anticipates reaching 100 million passengers by 2028.
After he was done with his presentation at the council committee, Washington took questions from council members, including one about last weekend’s baggage situation.
“I’m curious if the folks whose flight left and their bags didn’t, do you all pay for those bags to be delivered to those individuals once they get to that destination?” councilwoman Shontel Lewis asked.
“We work with the airlines. It, sort of, depends, but we work with them and engage with them in a case-by-case basis,” Washington said.
In his follow up interview with 9NEWS, Washington was asked if DIA has ever paid someone because their bag did not make it to their destination.
“Not to my knowledge. Not to my knowledge,” Washington said.
OK, should DIA ever pay a passenger for a delayed bag?
“I think that’s a conversation between the airport and the Federal Aviation Administration,” Washington said.
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