Travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are still facing delays and cancellations following a severe winter storm. While security wait times improved from over 75 minutes in the morning to about five minutes by the afternoon, the backlog of delays and cancellations continued to affect thousands of passengers.
A winter storm that began on Tuesday caused travel disruptions in Georgia, particularly at a major airport. Snow and hazardous road conditions led to staffing shortages, resulting in over 800 flight delays and 440 cancellations on Wednesday evening. This followed 900 delays and 339 cancellations on Tuesday. "There were so many people who came four or five hours ahead of their flight, and that just increased the volume of passengers here at the airport," said spokesperson Andrew Gobei, according to 11Alive and FOX 5 Atlanta.
Delta Airlines canceled 400 flights in Atlanta on Wednesday due to icy conditions, warning of more delays. Passengers affected should contact the airline for compensation. Traveler Madison Fielding said, "None of the flights are getting in, they cancelled everything. The airport was just shut down." TSA used rideshare services for staff and kept 18 security lanes open, though 28 are usually needed. Conditions are expected to improve as roads clear, as stated by FOX 5 Atlanta.
