ORLANDO, Fla. — Severe weather has been impacting travel plans for people across the country and in Central Florida.
The flight tracking website FlightAware shows there were 456 cancellations and 590 delays heading in and out of Orlando International Airport on Monday.
While the worst of the storm has passed, travelers still felt the effects of the extreme weather Tuesday morning at MCO.
What You Need To Know
Day 2 of travel woes continue at MCO following nationwide storms and spring break travel disruptions
On Monday, the flight tracking website FlightAware showed more than 450 cancellations and 590 delays at MCO
On Tuesday, the number of flight delays and cancellations at Orlando International Airport increased throughout the morning, but still had not reached Monday’s numbers
Airport officials say these delays don’t have anything to do with the government shutdown and are instead related to weather
Starting early, security check lines progressively got longer throughout the morning.
Overnight travelers filled various rest zones around the terminal, with some sleeping on the floor.
As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, there were 122 flight delays within, into or out of MCO and 74 cancellations, according to FlightAware.
Travelers shared different stories about their respective experiences.
Heaven Hernandez was scheduled for a 7 a.m. flight home to Louisville, Ky., that was delayed by two hours.
“As soon as I get off this plane, honey, I got to clock in. I got money to make, bills to pay, I got two dogs to put through college,” Hernandez says.
Amanda Peace and her son Tommy were heading back to Maryland, and unlike most travelers, they say their experience has been smooth sailing so far.
“You have to plan ahead. It’s not their fault this has been happening; it’s way outside of anyone’s control, so either travel or don’t, but don’t take it out on people here trying to make the best of it,” Peace says.
When it comes to flight disruptions, Hernandez certainly wasn’t alone.
On Monday, a local group of over 50 students, parents and teachers from SunRidge Middle School in Winter Garden got stuck in the Northeast because of the storms.
Following their flight cancellation Sunday, they were forced to spend the night sleeping at Boston Logan International Airport.
Fortunately, though, they were rebooked on a flight home late Monday night.
Parent and chaperone, Rick Tischler, explains, “With a group this size of 50 kids, approximately, and, you know, another 20-25 adults, there’s a lot of underlying issues. You know, kids with medical issues, diabetics, kids that have medications that they need to take care of on a regular basis that they only brought enough for the end of the weekend.”
Airport officials have called this unfortunate situation the “perfect storm” because of weather delays and spring break travel.
“People are anxious to start their spring break or return home in addition to having to deal with the ground stops, and the delays, and so it’s just one thing after another but we’ll all get through it,” MCO Vice President of Public Affairs Angela Starke says.
These delays are weather-related and have nothing to do with the government shutdown, she says.
As it stands, Transportation Security Administration employees are currently working without pay because funding for the Department of Homeland Security has been halted due to budget disputes in Congress.