Midwest storms blamed for many flight delays at Tampa Int'l Airport during busy Memorial Day weekend

TAMPA - Holiday weekends are always busy travel days, which often create chaos, but storms in the Midwest this weekend did not help travelers. Thirty percent of flights at Tampa International Airport were delayed Monday as millions nationwide traveled for Memorial Day weekend.

TPA said it was expecting an extremely busy holiday with an estimated 80,000 passengers a day.

One traveler from New York missed their cruise this weekend because of delays on Friday, then dealt with more delays on their way home Monday.

"On Thursday, it was delayed because of the storm… I couldn’t get on my cruise; I don’t know if I can get anything back from the cruise people," Jacqueline Giddings said. "You always end up with some delay or cancellation and I hate it. Our flight today was supposed to be at 7:30. My daughter was supposed to pick me up, but now she can’t because it’s too late."

Some workers say it can change the mood for people’s holidays.

"Some people will start cursing, other people will just get frustrated and look for accommodations," said Alexandra Rutz.

READ: Wrong-way, drunk drivers stopped by law enforcement over holiday weekend

TPA officials sent FOX 13 a statement, saying in part:

"Tampa International Airport was anticipating higher-than-normal traffic this Memorial Day weekend, kicking off what we believe will be a very busy summer. Today, stormy weather in the Chicago, New York City and Atlanta areas have caused more than 20 percent of our flights to be delayed. As always, we encourage travelers to check with their airlines for the most up-to-date schedules, even when the weather in Tampa looks clear and sunny."

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