Snow across the U.S. and a polar vortex in Canada triggered cancellations and delays in Tampa, leaving travelers scrambling for alternatives.<\/p>\n
TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
With more than 200 cancellations<\/a> and 110 delays according to Flight Aware.com<\/a>, the disruptions sent many travelers into a scramble for re-bookings, hotel rooms and alternate routes out of Florida.<\/p>\n “Frustration, absolutely,\u201d said Todd Rickards, whose flight to Toronto was canceled.<\/p>\n His canceled trip \u2014 scheduled to depart from Gate F85 \u2014 underscored how the repercussions of a polar vortex gripping Canada were felt far to the south.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is Sunday. We’re like, \u2018what the heck?\u2019 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,\u201d Rickards said.<\/p>\n Inside the terminal, travelers could be seen rapidly making calls to other airlines and nearby hotels as lines formed at service counters.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m trying to stay calm,” said Deena Theodora, another stranded traveler on the same Toronto flight.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s largest city was repeatedly delayed and then canceled.<\/p>\n \u201cOriginally, it was pushed back to 8:10 p.m., 10 o\u2019clock, now it\u2019s gotten cancelled. What have the emotions been like for the last few hours?\u201d 10 Tampa Bay News asked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been intense. I was excited to go home, even in the cold. See my mom, see my family and really it\u2019s just been a whirlwind,\u201d Theodora said.<\/p>\n