Hundreds of flights delayed, canceled in Tampa as winter weather snarls travel across the country

TAMPA, Fla. - Instead of gathering around the tree this Christmas Eve, many were stuck at Tampa International Airport.

With AAA predicting a record 6 million Floridians traveling this holiday season, cancelations were like a lump of coal for hundreds of travelers at TPA Saturday, after a winter storm brought record cold temperatures and snow to a huge portion of the country. 

The massive winter storm has impacted nearly 250 million Americans. So far, the snow and frigid temperatures have left more than 1 million people without power and resulted in at least 17 deaths.

Meanwhile, as of Saturday night, TPA reported at least 94 flight delays and 28 cancelations.

"We got here at about 3 and found out it was delayed at 4:15 or so and then they delayed it all the way till 8:45," Eric Martin, who's from Indiana and traveling to Chicago, said about his flight.

Chairs were full of passengers glued to the flight monitors.

"It's definitely annoying. It's just time. It's just like doing a 12-hour shift at work, I guess," Martin said.

Saturday night's travel woes – while still a major headache for many – were an improvement compared to Friday. At least 175 flight delays and 75 canceled flights were reported at the Tampa airport.

Anyone traveling over the next few days should be sure to double-check flight times before heading out and be sure to get to the airport at least two hours before departure.

"The average is about five to 10 minutes at TSA checkpoints. You don’t want to test that during the holidays. When you see the peaks, first thing in the morning, middle of the day and around 5 or 6 o'clock, you’re going to see those lines get a little bit longer," Tampa International Airport Spokesperson Emily Nipps said.