Snow across the U.S. and a polar vortex in Canada triggered cancellations and delays in Tampa, leaving travelers scrambling for alternatives.
TAMPA, Fla. — A winter storm system stretching across much of North America disrupted air travel Sunday at Tampa International Airport, where flights were canceled or delayed as severe weather battered Canada and parts of the United States.
With more than 200 cancellations and 110 delays according to Flight Aware.com, the disruptions sent many travelers into a scramble for re-bookings, hotel rooms and alternate routes out of Florida.
“Frustration, absolutely,” said Todd Rickards, whose flight to Toronto was canceled.
His canceled trip — scheduled to depart from Gate F85 — underscored how the repercussions of a polar vortex gripping Canada were felt far to the south.
“I got a business to get back to and so does she,” Rickards said in reference to his wife Tracy, whom he was traveling with. “I’ve got to find a way. I’m going to be wandering the halls looking for a flight.”
Some passengers considered drastic alternatives, including paying for rides to other airports. Several said they were weighing a $100 Uber ride to Orlando, staying overnight and flying out Monday morning to avoid being rebooked on Tampa flights not departing until Tuesday.
“This is Sunday. We’re like, ‘what the heck?’ They say we do have a Porter flight tomorrow, on Monday, but it’s already been filled by people who got pushed into it earlier on. My AirCanada flight has dumped me on Porter and Porter is washing their hands of me,” Rickards said.
Inside the terminal, travelers could be seen rapidly making calls to other airlines and nearby hotels as lines formed at service counters.
“I’m trying to stay calm,” said Deena Theodora, another stranded traveler on the same Toronto flight.
For Canadian singer and actress Theodora, her hope of getting home continued to fade as her original 6:25 p.m. Porter Airlines flight to Canada’s largest city was repeatedly delayed and then canceled.
“Originally, it was pushed back to 8:10 p.m., 10 o’clock, now it’s gotten cancelled. What have the emotions been like for the last few hours?” 10 Tampa Bay News asked.
“It’s been intense. I was excited to go home, even in the cold. See my mom, see my family and really it’s just been a whirlwind,” Theodora said.
A whirlwind also described the broader weather system bringing freezing rain, snow and power outages affecting more than half of the U.S. population.
Not all travelers were impacted. Flights continued to depart for cities less affected by the storm.
Several flights to Chicago, Miami and Phoenix took off on Sunday night. Many travelers said they’re extremely grateful they didn’t have to change their travel plans to go home and see family.
Among them was Ashley Austin, traveling to the Midwest with her husband.
“We are going home to Kansas City,” Austin said. “We didn’t quite get what we thought and hopefully it will be easy to land and we will get there on time.”