Winter Blast Felt At S. Florida Airports
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) – A major winter storm that is dumping snow, ice, freezing rain, and even severe thunderstorms over much of the nation is causing travel headaches at Miami International and Fort Lauderdale International Airport.
The storm system is causing problems in Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, New York, Dallas, and many other cities across the country. Chicago and Dallas are hubs for United Airlines and American Airlines respectively.
At 4:30 p..m., Miami International Airport had a total of 73 cancellations. MIA is used heavily by American Airlines and when the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport shutdown for about two hours Tuesday morning, the delays began to accelerate.
"They said that the Chicago to Dallas flight has been canceled for weather, that affected our flight also, and they no give nothing for the hotel, nothing," said one very upset traveler stuck at MIA.
Travelers at Fort Lauderdale International Airport are seeing an even greater number of cancellations. FLL is experiencing a total of 121 cancellations and 20 delays from 7:30 a.m. to midnight.
The destinations that were impacted included: Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, and Pittsburgh to name a few. The Snodgrass family from Pittsburgh was supposed to leave Monday.. They were delayed until Tuesday night. "We're ready to get back home, sort of," said Karen Snodgrass. Her kids, however, want to stay. "I don't want to go to school," said Kylie. "I like the sun, I don't want to go back to the snow."
More than half a dozen JetBlue planes were parked at the airport, stuck here because they could not fly out to the Northeast. That's where Oma Toro is trying to go. "I'm supposed to fly out at noon, 12." Toro says he'll wait to see if his flight leaves.
The storm couldn't come at a worse time for football fans in Green Bay and Pittsburgh who were hoping to head to Dallas for the Super Bowl. The system will bring sub-freezing temperatures to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area for the next three days and could put a damper on any outdoor activities planned for Super Bowl week.
On the other hand, the NFL said South Florida wouldn't be getting a Super Bowl again anytime soon until stadium repairs are made.
For the record, the weather in South Florida will feature highs in the low 80's and lows in the mid 60's through Super Bowl Sunday.
