DENVER – There was a sea of luggage at the Frontier baggage claim area at Denver International Airport that grew as time passed Sunday morning.
The luggage, which came from several canceled Frontier flights, was being directed to the baggage claim area. But an excess of luggage wasn’t the only issue the airline faced.
After ten hours, Milton and Marissa Wilcox are now waiting for luggage. They say they haven't received any direction from @FlyFrontier. pic.twitter.com/FAvZnSyVjS
— Amanda del Castillo (@AmandaDTV) December 18, 2016
Frustrated @FlyFrontier passengers say they were told to go home and return tomorrow for baggage. Ppl have already spent 5hrs on tarmac.
— Amanda del Castillo (@AmandaDTV) December 18, 2016
Hundreds of passengers who flew into Denver from Atlanta waited five hours on an icy tarmac before being de-boarded. Passengers told Denver7’s Amanda del Castillo that officials kept saying the delay would only last another hour.
Tom Mitts- 14+ hrs for luggage. Was told pilot walked off... Because of wx... Questioning whether refund is in order. #Frontier says no. pic.twitter.com/QMK0jWZAQJ
— Amanda del Castillo (@AmandaDTV) December 18, 2016
The aircraft landed at around 1 a.m. At 5 a.m. passengers were reportedly told a bus would come to shuttle them to the main terminal. Relief didn’t come until just before 6 a.m.
One passenger said he was told winter weather conditions created the delay. Another said he was told the lack of Frontier employees added to Sunday’s travel nightmare.
Alex Krager got in at 9:15 last night, only getting luggage now... It is 8:42AM. #Denver7 #Frontier pic.twitter.com/8dg5kw9jZu
— Amanda del Castillo (@AmandaDTV) December 18, 2016
Upstairs, the lines at Frontier’s ticketing counter flooded the area. Many said it took them four hours to get to the front of the line, only to learn their flight had been canceled.
Lines at the Frontier ticket counter weave all the way into the main terminal. @DenverChannel pic.twitter.com/RfwMBF0vNP
— Eric Goody (@ejgoody) December 18, 2016
Frontier spokesperson, Jim Faulkner, released a statement Sunday morning saying in part, “We’ve been working with customers who have been affected by delays.”
Faulkner also said Frontier brought in additional staff Sunday to help sort baggage and get it to the correct people and locations. He added more staff was also brought in to the reservations and customer service areas to help process calls and requests.
Denver7 has learned a phone number given to passengers to speak to a representative about rebooking flights or to call regarding luggage claims leads to a recording that disconnects moments later.
Early Sunday afternoon, Frontier Airlines said in a Facebook post they were still "experiencing higher than normal wait times in our call center," and asked passengers to fill out a request form in order to get a refund, in case they were not able to get through an agent on the phone.
The refund request form can be found here.