The winter storm sweeping across the nation made for difficult travel conditions this weekend, canceling and delaying flights across the country.
Tampa International Airport is seeing its share of disruptions, with dozens of delays and cancellations Sunday into Monday morning.
The numbers are expected to climb today in Tampa and across the nation.
More than 11,400 flights were canceled on Sunday, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware.
Early Monday, Tampa had 69 canceled flights and 22 delays.
Albert Hewitt slept at Tampa International Sunday night after trying to get a flight out of Orlando to Atlantic City this weekend.
“I was in Orlando,” he said. “Was support to leave Saturday night, got cancelled, last night got cancelled again. I went up to the counter to rebook and they told me Thursday. I was like, ‘do you have any other places I could fly out of, anything,’ and he said I have one seat tampa to AC (Atlantic City) Monday night.”
Airline officials are advising anyone flying out of Tampa today to check with their airline before leaving for the airport.
Even those flying to an area not impacted by the weather could still run into flight issues.
Operations are expected to return to normal conditions likely by mid-week.
What you do if your flight is canceled
If you’re already at the airport, get in line to speak to a customer service representative. If you’re still at home or at your hotel, call or go online to connect to your airline’s reservations staff. Either way, it helps to also research alternate flights while you wait to talk to an agent.
Most airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge, but it depends on the availability of open seats.
Other carriers’ flights aren’t always an option
You can, but airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. Some airlines, including most of the biggest carriers, say they can put you on a partner airline, but even then, it can be a hit or miss.
You are owed a refund for a cancellation
If your flight was canceled and you no longer want to take the trip, or you’ve found another way to get to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money — even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was canceled.
The airline might offer you a travel credit, but you are entitled to a full refund. You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.