This Christmas Day, vacation travel was a nightmare for millions of Americans. Not so bad in North Texas, winter weather caused all sorts of problems across the country.
A warm welcome from family is part of the vacation travel experience. But the journey isn’t always smooth. Traveling during this time may or may not work for you.
Erica Silvers was in tears when she arrived at DFW airport from Portland.
“The airport was packed. So, like in the morning, they were like we couldn’t fly out,” she said. is.”
Silvers is due to arrive on the 23rdRD dashed. Instead she arrived on Christmas night.
“Nearly all flights out of Portland, Oregon were canceled, and we had to wait two days to come out,” Silvers said.
She is one of tens of thousands of people across the country whose plans have been thwarted by weather, delays, cancellations, and baggage complications.
US-based airlines canceled about 12,000 flights from Wednesday to Saturday. At Lovefield, a passenger was at a loss after Southwest Airlines canceled his quarter of flights in the meantime.
American Airlines responded to a barrage of complaints about missing or delayed baggage on social media. The airline did not respond to NBC5’s request for comment.
Those who arrived on time considered themselves lucky. Samuel Manhoff says his family’s trek from Chicago was exactly what everyone expected.
“We were worried about the cold and weather from the beginning of the week, but luckily it was all sunny by then, so it wasn’t terrible.
Manhoff said he traveled to DFW to see his extended family.
“It was a sigh of relief. Now that the pressure is off, we can just celebrate and relax,” Manhoff said.
Silvers said he plans to make up for lost time and put off his travel misfortunes.
“It’s very rewarding to finally be here,” she said.
As of Sunday evening, some airlines have begun to notice that their scheduling problems are easing, though they are not entirely out of the woods.
Thursday’s schedule peaked at more than 47,500 flights, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.