Severe weather across the United States caused big disruptions in air travel on Saturday, as thousands of people traveled back home after the holiday season. Over 9,000 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were delayed, while more than 300 flights were canceled on Saturday evening. These widespread delays are because of a combination of severe weather events, with rain, snow, and threats of more severe storms. There were warnings for heavy rain and snow in the Western U.S.. In the South, there were severe thunderstorms, including tornadoes near Houston — where at least one person was killed and four others were injured.
The most extreme delays were centered around major airports: more than half of the flights leaving Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta were delayed. At New York’s Kennedy International Airport, flights were averaging a delay time of more than two hours. More than 50% of Southwest Airlines flights from the Dallas Love Field Airport were delayed. In Houston, United Airlines issued a ground stop for the afternoon.
The weather proved a lot of trouble for the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport in Texas, in particular. Bad weather has been ongoing at the airport, which included thick fog, plus a technical glitch, which briefly delayed flights there earlier in the week. These issues continued into Saturday, as storms and poor visibility caused many delays. Many passengers sat on their luggage in the terminal while waiting to hear about their delayed flights. Outside, rain fell hard at times with flashes of lightning across the sky. Long lines formed at customer service desks inside the terminal, as travelers tried to rebook flights.
Among them was Ashley Allen, 55, who flew from Las Vegas to Dallas, planning to fly to Florida, which would have gotten her home by Saturday. However, on the first flight, she was informed that the connecting flight had been canceled. She found herself stranded in Dallas with no flight to take her home. “They just called and canceled our flight and put us on another flight and said if we wanted to, we could change it,” she said with a laugh. “But there are no other flights.” After Allen stayed overnight in Dallas, that rebooked flight was also delayed, leaving her in Dallas.
Despite these huge delays, during the afternoon and morning on Saturday, the situation started to get better. By Saturday afternoon, most airports had returned to normal. By that time, however, many passengers had already spent their entire day in long queues, having flights canceled or delayed, and facing an overall stressful traveling experience.
