Weather Issues & Staffing Shortages Lead to Airport Delays and Cancellations – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Hunter, who flies from Dallas to New York, feels like a lot of travelers today.
“Quite angry,” said Hunter. “I’m pretty upset about it. It’s a major inconvenience for us.”
Hunter faces a canceled flight.
“I was originally supposed to be going to a wedding in New York City for a close friend of ours,” said Hunter. “It affects us pretty badly that none of us will make it now.”
To this frustration, he doesn’t get a clear answer as to why.
“They said it had something to do with the weather, then they wanted to reroute us,” said Hunter. “Then they said they didn’t have enough fuel and told us we’d get off the plane so we’d be more comfortable. But when we got to the terminal, they told us the flight was canceled.”
For some, the uncertainty started before they even got to the airport.
“This morning at six o’clock and then every hour it changed, it changed, it changed and when I got to the airport it was said it was canceled,” said Flyer Talaya Ferguson.
Several reasons are causing the problems, including more people flying.
Love Field had 17,000 bookings today compared to just over 6,600 that day last year.
“Before you get to the airport, make sure your flight is still on schedule,” said Chris Perry of Dallas Love Field. “Make sure it hasn’t been canceled. The last thing we want is someone stuck their vacation weekend here at the airport.”
Southwest Airlines issued a statement saying that the weather is causing today’s problems.
Reported staff shortages at some airlines also affect travelers.
“I asked if you heard about the American labor shortage and the cancellation of these flights,” said Flyer Josh Yax. “I didn’t think this would happen to us, but it did.”
Despite the reasons for the problems, people just hope that things can be resolved as soon as possible.
“A scale from one to 10, I’ll give it four,” said Yax.
Some travelers were ready to do whatever it takes to get to their July 4th destinations, including changing airports.
“I started in San Francisco around midnight,” said Joshua Nourse.
Nourse lagged trying to make it to his family in Columbus when his connection to DFW resulted in a three hour wait on the tarmac and another two hours inside.
“It’s a madhouse. There are wall-to-wall people. They told me there were 100 planes to return from the runway to the terminal,” Nourse said.
Instead of waiting in the long line to speak to customer service, Nourse took a Lyft to Love Field, hoping to be luckier.
But after Southwest had many cancellations and delays, Christi and Kevin Gnadinger will now be spending the first night of their Vegas trip at home.
“You quoted the weather and it’s just crazy for me. It’s sunny out there and it’s definitely sunny in Vegas, “said Kevin Gnadinger.
The couple and their two children will miss out on tickets for a show and their first night in a hotel.
They say Southwest couldn’t book them on another flight until tomorrow night, which would result in them missing out on the vow renewal celebrations of Kevin’s parents, which was why they were traveling.
Instead, they used miles they received from their family to book a last-minute flight to the United States for Saturday morning.
Still, they say they are already nervous about possible delays on the journey home.
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