More than 100 flights delayed, canceled at TPA Sunday due to Georgia severe weather
TAMPA - 140 flights were either delayed or canceled at Tampa International Airport on Sunday following more than 300 delays and cancelations reported at the airport on Saturday. Airport officials say the hiccups are due to severe weather in Georgia over the weekend.
On Sunday afternoon, couches and chairs were full on the 3rd floor of Tampa International Airport with some passengers waiting hours to get home.
"I'm a little irritated, we have to sit and wait, and they don't want to do anything with bags to help on our end, so we can get around without taking bags everywhere, so that makes it a little more difficult," traveler Ernest Endsley said.
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At its peak Saturday, more than 300 flights coming and going from TPA were either delayed or canceled. On Sunday afternoon, around 5 p.m., flight data showed 59 delayed departures and two cancelations, as well as 81 delayed arrivals and two cancelations.
Passenger Mara Cvejic who's delayed getting back to DC is hoping her trip home isn't as bad as it was getting here.
"We were initially delayed by an hour and a half. We sat on the tarmac and then we were pushed then pushed back and then pushed up again and then on the way from DC to Tampa we were on the tarmac for about an hour and a half," Cvejic said.
Also adding to the backup are the roughly 10,000 passengers who were unable to fly in or out on Saturday rebooking their flights for Sunday. The airport is also seeing historically high numbers with more people traveling during this spring break compared to last year.
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"While the weather issues to our north have cleared, TPA and other Florida airports are still experiencing a higher-than-usual number of flight delays. This is partly due to an extra 10,000 passengers rebooked from yesterday’s canceled flights, as well as our expected record number of passengers already scheduled to fly today. With the extra flights coming in and out of the state, the FAA has implemented a flow control program to keep the skies safe," an airport spokesperson said in a statement emailed to FOX 13 on Sunday.
It's not clear if there could be similar delays or cancelations on Monday, but airport officials ask travelers expected to fly out Monday to double-check your flights before you head to the airport to make any additional arrangements if your flight times change.