Hundreds of flights canceled due to stormy weather – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by FTiare
Air traffic delays and cancellations persisted across the state of Florida on Saturday afternoon, including at all three of South Florida’s main airports. The rainy weather moving throughout South Florida has put a halt on vacation plans for hundreds of travelers.
One woman told Local 10 News that she arrived on Thursday evening from New Jersey and was left waiting to be rebooked onto a connecting flight.
“It was supposed to be 1:50 from American Airlines,” she said. “They canceled it for 5:40, then they changed it to 5:15. We didn’t get on the plane until after 6. The plane took off at 8. We got here at 10:30, and I’m still waiting in the airport until now.”
At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Saturday afternoon, nearly 90 flights were canceled. There were around 28 flight cancellations just before 4 p.m., with eight arrivals and 28 departures. There were 63 flights that were delayed, with 29 arriving and 34 departing.
“The flight impacts…are most likely due to inclement weather across Florida and other parts of the U.S.,” said airport spokeswoman Arlene Satchell.
By 4 p.m. Saturday, 15 flights had been canceled at Miami International Airport, including nine arrivals and six departures. There were 155 flights delayed, with 102 arriving and 53 departing.
The storm, according to Greg Chin, communications director for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, is to blame for the majority of the cancellations and delays. “I’d estimate 99 percent of those are because of the storm,” Chin said.
As of 4 p.m. Saturday, Palm Beach International Airport had ten canceled flights, six departures, and four arrivals. Eight departures and 16 arrivals were among the 24 flights that were delayed.
On Saturday, passengers at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport were struggling with severe weather-related problems.
The airport tweeted that the East Perimeter Road entry was flooded and recommended drivers use the I-595 entrance instead.
Thousands of people in South Florida have already lost power as Tropical Storm Alex approaches, bringing heavy rain to the region.
In the event of severe weather, airlines advise passengers to check for flight itinerary and arrival time alerts.
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