By Vignesh Ramachandran
As the families of last Friday's theater shooting victims jet across the country to attend memorial services for their loved ones, major airlines that serve the Denver area are offering some financial relief.
United Airlines, which has a hub at Denver International, is providing free air travel to the Mile High City for victims' families from outside Colorado, The Denver Post reported. Aurora, one of Denver's largest suburbs, is located about 18 miles from the airport.
"All of us were impacted by these events, and we want to help in any way we can," the airline told The Denver Post.
An uncle of 27-year-old victim Alex Sullivan reportedly thanked United on Facebook for accommodating about 25 family members to attend funeral services in Denver — many of whom live in Rochester, N.Y.
Southwest Airlines also serves Denver, and the Dallas-based carrier is giving families complimentary travel to Colorado. "We provided travel for the families of the victims and we’re working closely with local partners to accommodate their needs at this time," Southwest spokesperson Michelle Agnew said in a statement. Southwest is "available to help as many families as needed," she said.
Denver-based Frontier Airlines is doing the same. "As we are based in Colorado, you can imagine how many of us were impacted by last Friday’s events," airline spokesperson Lindsey Carpenter said in a statement. "We are just glad we can be of help to our grieving neighbors."
The Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance, a victims advocacy group, is working with the families and airlines to book these flights.
This move by the travel industry comes alongside news that some Colorado hospitals are limiting or waiving victims' medical bills.
The July 20 shooting at an Aurora, Colo. movie theater left 12 dead and 58 injured.
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