FORT MYERS
Winter weather is hitting holiday air travel hard. Flight Aware reports more than 3,500 cancellations and over 16,000 delays across the country on Tuesday.
Airlines are already issuing waivers and travel alerts ahead of the expected delays and cancellations. For most passengers traveling out of Southwest Florida International Airport, this holiday season has been calm and bright.
“This is the best airport ever. It’s always just relaxing, smooth moving. Not like where I came from,” said Jennifer Stiso, who was flying to Newark.
With severe snowstorms on the way for much of the country, especially the midwest, some travel experts say things are set to change in a matter of days.
They’re encouraging people to fly out before Thursday before the winter weather starts grounding flights.
“I’ve been watching the airlines a long time, and I just don’t remember a snowstorm on the eve of Christmas quite like this,” said Joseph Schwieterman, DePaul University professor & and transportation expert.
Some travelers are already starting to feel those effects. Bernadette Mooney and Jennie Barger’s flight back to Indianapolis was delayed three hours.
“We had no idea that our flight was even going to be delayed, or we probably would have changed our flights. But we didn’t know till we were on our way to the airport,” said Mooney. “We hadn’t even looked at the weather really.”
“It’s not really so bad right now, but we’re bummed that we have to sit at the airport a few extra hours. I’m ready to go home,” Barger said.
Most are hoping they’ll make it out before things get bad.
“I think I think it already has been delayed by at least 30 minutes. So we’ll see what happens,” said Dorothy Fowler, who was flying to Denver. “There’s always a risk.”
“I think that you always have in the back of your head, something’s going to go awry. But thus far, it has not,” said Stiso.
Stranded or not, many admit they’d rather be in Southwest Florida than anywhere else right now.
“I’d be happy to be stuck here. So my guests wouldn’t like it that are coming to my house for Christmas Eve, but I’d be more than happy to stay in Florida,” Stiso said.
WINK NEWS