CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled at Charlotte Douglas International Airport over the weekend as Fourth of July travelers spent hours in the terminal scrambling for a faster way home.
More than 700 flights were delayed and nearly 60 were canceled on Sunday as bad weather impacted airports across the U.S.
The FAA had issued a ground stop at Charlotte's airport as thunderstorms rolled in to the area. The ground stop was lifted around 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
Things improved by Monday morning with the airport showing 12 total delays as of 5:30 a.m. There were 31 cancellations, including 16 American Airlines flights. Of those, eight were from Houston, which is dealing with Hurricane Beryl.
Sunday was the busiest travel day in U.S. history and there were widespread delays nationwide due to Beryl's impact. Passengers who expected to catch early flights out of the Queen City were left wondering what would happen next when their trips were either delayed or canceled.
“We got up and ready and packed to leave at noon. Our flight was supposed to leave now," Morgan Williams told WCNC Charlotte. "We're not going to be home until 11 and that's with the hour jump."
Dozens of people were seen sitting and sleeping in the terminal as they waited while others were frantically coming up with backup plans to get home in time for work on Monday morning.
“It’s going to make our layover in L.A. rushed," Rhett Boyer said, explaining he wasn't sure what the impacts of the delays would be once he arrived in California. "This is only my second time flying and there's never been any layovers."
Contact Anna King at aking2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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