In Dallas, TX, thousands of flights were delayed or canceled on Saturday, December 28, due to weather conditions in different regions in the US, interrupting travel for many going back home after the holidays.
According to FlightAware, over 9,000 flights in the U.S. were delayed, and more than 300 flights were canceled as of Saturday evening. Many airports had a lot of disruptions, with more than half of the flights from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport delayed and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston also having delays. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta also had similar issues, while flights at New York’s Kennedy International Airport had an average delay of over two hours.
The weather included heavy rain and snow warnings in the West, serious storms in the South, and a storm system moving toward the Northeast. In Houston, tornadoes were reported, resulting in at least one death and four injuries. The situation was especially challenging for travelers in Texas, where fog and storms built up on delays that began earlier in the week with a technical glitch at American Airlines.
Passengers are angry over the delays. Regina Esquivel, who was trying to fly from Houston, TX to Newark, NJ, reported being stuck on the tarmac for nearly four hours without refreshments. “People are so frustrated,” she said.
Ashley Allen, stranded in Dallas after her connecting flight was canceled, noted the lack of available rebooking options. “They canceled our flight, put us on another flight, and said we could change it if we wanted…There are no other flights,” she said with a laugh
Despite the widespread disruptions, operations at Dallas-Fort Worth airport returned to normal by Saturday evening, according to airport spokesman Brian Brooks.