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A fierce winter storm stranded thousands of passengers in U.S. airports Thursday, leaving some worried their travel misery could persist for days and threaten plans to reach their destinations in time to celebrate with family by Christmas.
The storm has struck during one of the busiest holiday travel seasons in more than 20 years and has also created treacherous conditions on the ground. State highway officials reported jackknifed trucks and closed lanes. Some long-distance rail lines were shuttered. Bus lines were halted.
“I’m sad, just emotional, and just ready to get out of the airport,” said Keri Crutcher, whose layover in Denver with two kids descended into a blur of line waiting and sleeping on the airport floor. Her Southwest flight headed for family in Kentucky was first canceled Wednesday. Shortly before her rescheduled flight was set to board Thursday, she saw her bags rolling toward the cargo hold.
“I thought, okay, we’re getting close! Nope,” Crutcher said. Canceled again. “Merry Christmas.”
By afternoon Thursday, the number of flight cancellations topped 2,300 nationwide and was continuing to grow, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks commercial aviation. More cancellations and delays are expected through Friday.
Bobby Rathbone, 44, is stuck in Chicago until Christmas morning, after Southwest canceled his Thursday flight home to Portland, Ore. The music teacher was attending a four-day international band and orchestra conference this week, along with thousands of others, and found himself stranded at Chicago Midway International.
His best option: getting home late Christmas Day, after an 11-hour flight with stops in San Antonio and Phoenix.
“Christmas it is. I guess me and Santa Claus, we just both take a trip that day,” Rathbone said.
Airports in Chicago and Denver were among the hardest hit Thursday, according to FlightAware data. About a quarter of flights into and out of Chicago O’Hare International Airport were canceled Thursday, as were about a quarter of flights at Denver International Airport. O’Hare said early Thursday that airlines had proactively canceled nearly 540 flights “in anticipation of winter weather arriving to the Chicagoland area later today” and asked passengers to check directly with the carriers for the most up-to-date flight information.
The Federal Aviation Administration cited forecasts of gusting wind, blowing snow and low clouds, which threatened disruptions from Detroit and Minneapolis-St. Paul to Atlanta and Boston. FlightAware cited more than 9,000 delays nationwide. Passengers at airports in New York and Washington also faced disruptions.
The Transportation Security Administration expected Thursday to be one of the two busiest days of the season at U.S. airports, with traffic expected to be close to pre-pandemic levels. (Dec. 30 is the other day for the return home.)
The severe cold, snow and rain impacting the eastern two-thirds of the country added major complications — and safety risks — to the busy Christmas travel rush, with large numbers of Americans headed for gatherings with family or friends at the end of a third pandemic year.
More than 112 million people were expected to travel more than 50 or more miles from home between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, according to AAA. Most of them — nearly 102 million — will drive, AAA said. More than 7 million are flying, while several million more will take the train or use other modes of transportation. According to AAA, 2022 is shaping up to be the third-busiest year for holiday travel since it began tracking the numbers in 2000.
The massive storm is also taking a toll on intercity train and bus travel, prompting cancellations through Christmas Day.
Southwest had more than 800 cancellations Thursday, according to FlightAware, more than any other U.S. airline.
“Dangerous working and travel conditions, especially in Denver and Chicago, have resulted in disruptions to Southwest’s nearly 12,000 scheduled flights Wednesday, Dec. 21 through Friday, Dec. 23,” Southwest said in a statement. “We apologize for inconveniences as our Team works to get Customers to their destinations as quickly and safely as possible.”
The nation’s four biggest carriers — American, Delta, United and Southwest — have pointed to flexible change policies for travelers. But disruptions caused by the weather continue to reverberate through airline operations, including staffing challenges, frustrating hopes for many passengers seeking to be moved quickly to other flights.
