ORLANDO, Fla. — On Friday, airport flight boards glowed like Christmas trees, but the flashing red spelled delays, not holiday cheer, as travelers nationwide faced widespread disruptions.
Nearly 600 scheduled flights were delayed in and out of Orlando International Airport as of 11 p.m. Friday, according to flight tracking data from FlightAware. It is roughly 40 percent of the airport’s scheduled flights.
A total of 69 flights were canceled.
This is all happening as travelers attempt to return home. Some were trying to take a vacation after the Christmas holiday.
Airport officials say these disruptions were a result of a ripple effect from Winter Storm Devin in the Northeast and heavy rain out West.
Friday night, many slept on airport sofas and benches, including children.
People scouted for hotel rooms at the last minute, but many nearby hotels were sold out, including the Hyatt Regency, located in the airport atrium.
Awmia Riggs says she was constantly refreshing her airline app. “I’m very anxious because I’m ready to get home,” Riggs said, explaining her delay kept increasing. It was at two hours when we spoke with her.
Others sat on hold with their airline’s customer service, like Angela Montes, who sat in the airport with her family of five. Their flight was delayed to the point that they missed their connecting flight.
“They’re trying to see if they can accommodate us with a room or something for my children. They want us to wait at an airport for more than 15 hours,” Montes said.
“Definitely not magical now,” Montes said.
For many, this means last‑minute hotel hunts, overnight stays, and more money they don’t want to spend for holiday travel.
Chrissy Polans says her family’s flight out of Tampa was canceled Friday morning, as well as her brother’s flight out of New York.
“Everybody had to scramble,” Polans said.
Rather than settling in for their long-awaited beach getaway, they spent the night rebooking a flight out of Orlando and staying at a nearby hotel.
Fortunately, lines at TSA checkpoints remained relatively short. Still, airport officials are advising passengers to arrive at the ticket counter three hours before their flight and at the TSA two hours before their flight.
Make sure to check your airline app to see if your flight has been canceled or delayed.
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