Planes diverted to Pueblo, Colorado, Wednesday

Pueblo police officers were dispatched to the Pueblo Municipal Airport Wednesday around 10:30 p.m., after several planes had been diverted from Denver due to bad weather.

The delays left around 170 passengers stranded and frustrated, the Pueblo Police Department said in a release, and passengers were stuck with limited options for lodging due to several events in Pueblo leaving no available hotel rooms.

Police said they were able to get into contact with Colorado State University-Pueblo, Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, and the American Red Cross who helped the passengers, some of whom had been stranded since about 8 p.m.

“The Pueblo Police Department did an extremely good job coordinating with the college and red cross,” said Pat Cullen, airport operations maintenance specialist. “About 40 passengers decided to stay overnight at the terminal, but the rest were given rides and help.”

Police said some passengers were transported to the dormitories at CSU-Pueblo for food, drinks and a place to sleep for the night, while families with small children were prioritized for available rooms at the Econo Lodge in Pueblo West.

The Pikes Peak Chapter of the American Red Cross said its disaster action team was called to respond and provided blankets, snacks and coffee to the stranded passengers.

Cullen said in total, there were 14 planes that were forced to stop at the Pueblo airport Wednesday night between 8 and 10 p.m., and all but four were gone by 10:30.

Cullen said three crews ran out of time to make it to Denver, forcing them to stay overnight, while the other plane had maintenance issues that kept it grounded until Thursday.

The last stranded plane was gone by 2 p.m. Thursday, Cullen said.

Source: http://www.chieftain.com