CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Many travelers are stuck at Charlotte Douglas International Airport as delays and cancellations carried over throughout the weekend.
The airport dealt with hundreds of canceled or delayed flights Saturday and Sunday. The unfortunate hurdle for travelers is that these flight disruptions are in the hands of Mother Nature. At around 7 p.m. Sunday, over 250 flights had been canceled and almost 400 flights were delayed. As of 8 a.m. on Monday, there were 21 delays and 56 cancellations in Charlotte.
When weather impacts travel, all bets are off.
Sarah Gonzalez was traveling home to West Palm Beach with her family before her flight was canceled.
“[It's an] adventure because you don't know what the next moment holds,” Gonzalez told WCNC Charlotte's Myles Harris.
Hundreds of canceled flights forced lines to form throughout the airport and travelers like Philip Kaminski are stuck waiting.
“It's a headache for sure," Kaminski said.
Kaminski was on his way to Dallas before his flight with American Airlines was canceled.
“That flight got pushed back pushed back until it got canceled," Kaminski said. "And now we're trying to get a rental car from here to get back to Dallas.”
WCNC Charlotte asked American Airlines about the issues.
A spokesperson for the airline said the flight disruptions are a result of “Mother Nature” and the "domino effect" that happens when weather impacts flights. The spokesperson added Charlotte is American Airlines' second-largest hub, and the Charlotte airport is "sandwiched" in between Saturday night's severe weather in the northeast and the severe weather in the southeast due to Debby.
Travelers were hopeful to get home soon and safely.
“I've definitely had delays but I've never had to drive across the country to get back home," Kaminski said.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.