Winter storm aftermath derails travel plans at Chicago airports, Union Station on Christmas Eve

CHICAGO (WLS) — Delays at Southwest Airways have been climbing on Christmas Eve evening, leaving passengers pissed off.

“It is pathetic!” mentioned Ramya Sri, a Southwest traveler at Halfway Airport.

Some passengers mentioned they acquired their tickets weeks in the past, however had been notified of delays or cancellations simply minutes earlier than boarding time.

“I simply acquired canceled,” Sri mentioned. “They might have not less than despatched out a message earlier telling that every one the flights canceled as a substitute of asking us are available in right here and making us stand.”

Many vacationers are making a last-minute effort to make it to vacation locations after a winter storm blew by means of the Chicago space, dealing a blistering blow to journey plans and airways. Southwest was one of many hardest hit airways within the nation, canceling greater than 30% of its flights. The road for these tripes at Halfway was practically a terminal lengthy on Saturday.

In keeping with the Chicago Division of Aviation, as of Saturday night, common delays at Halfway had been at practically 2 hours and counting. Delays had been at 40 minutes at O’Hare with greater than 300 flights canceled Saturday, between each airports.

Some passengers, like Steve Gritten, mentioned they acquired notified minutes earlier than boarding time.

“Had we identified a bit of bit earlier, we might’ve gone down and acquired in line for right this moment’s flight and we did not. Now, all people’s dashing,” Gritten mentioned.

Komlan, of Des Moines, has been attempting to spend the vacations together with his household in West Africa.

“It is a global flight. They can not simply cancel it like that,” Komlan mentioned.

His connecting flight to New York, one in all many, he mentioned, was canceled on the final minute.

“It is type of irritating as a result of I didn’t know that. In any other case, I would not be in Chicago. I am in Chicago. I got here early this morning, they usually’re simply letting me know that there is not any flight from Chicago to JFK,” Komlan mentioned.

Whereas some folks wait to take off from the tarmac, journey woes had been additionally met on land as some passengers arrived at Chicago’s Union Station.

“We weren’t prepared for it. We had been on our manner right here, and like 5 minutes away. Then, we acquired the notifications in regards to the delays. So, it is alright, not ultimate,” mentioned Joanna Felsenstein, a Union Station traveler.

Felsenstein is barely headed to Peru, Illinois, with meals in tow for a household dinner that she and her accomplice must be late to.

“I imply, they will begin with out us. We’ll simply get there once we get there,” Felsenstein mentioned.

Some prepare stations and airports provide waivers to alter your plans without spending a dime, however some passengers mentioned, at this level, it is perhaps too late to make it house for the vacations.