Thousands of travelers experiencing delays and cancellations at Bush, Hobby airports
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Thousands of travelers have yet to make it to their destinations after the winter weather led to a ground stop at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Monday, which canceled hundreds of flights.
As of 4 p.m. on Tuesday, there were at least 517 cancellations out of IAH and 41 out of Hobby in the past 24 hours.
ABC13's Courtney Carpenter was at IAH and heard from some frustrated travelers.
Plenty of people spent the night in Terminal A due to canceled flights. They told Eyewitness News that they were frustrated and tired. Some travelers said their next chance out of there wasn't happening Tuesday.
"I have to say it's not as bad as Kansas City because they are getting it way worse than we are, but I don't like the cold," Andrena Wheeler, a delayed traveler, said.
A lot of people at Bush on Tuesday were over this winter weather and what it did to their travel plans.
"The guy got our IDs and so forth, and 'Oh, LAX is canceled,' and that was it," Toloria Allens said after getting her flight delayed.
Sisters Andrena and Toloria have been planning a trip to Hawaii for months, but now getting their toes in the sand is on hold.
Icsha Oden came to Houston for work and is desperate to get back to Buffalo with her kids. After a sleepless night in the airport, she's told she can't get a flight out on Tuesday at all.
"At this point, I have no boarding pass to get through TSA, my rental is gone, my hotel is gone, and we are relegated to Terminal A, which is freezing, by the way. You see, everyone has coats and blankets," Oden said.
A ground stop was issued for IAH at 10:45 a.m. on Monday because of the freezing rain. It lasted until 1:30 p.m. and in the process, canceled more than 500 flights.
No hotel vouchers were being offered because the delays and cancelations were all weather-related, which is putting some people in a bind.
"I was like, 'Alright, I will get me a hotel room for the night and then go get on the plane,' and then the next day they were like, 'Oh no no, go get another hotel.' They can't pay for it either because it's the weather," delayed traveler Tyler Field said.
Tuesday looks more promising than Monday as far as the number of delays and cancellations. But there's no denying that plenty of people are having to practice their patience and hope for the best.
"I just want to get back home," Oden said.
For more news updates, follow Courtney Carpenter on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
