Hundreds of travelers at San Francisco International Airport found their festive plans imperiled as strong winds coupled with winter weather led to significant delays on Christmas Day. According to NBC Bay Area, the Federal Aviation Administration was forced to implement a ground delay program, initially capping arrivals at 25 flights per hour due to safety concerns, later increasing this to 28.
Flight-tracking website FlightAware reported nearly 200 flights delayed by Christmas morning. Meanwhile, only a few cancellations were noted, suggesting that most travelers would eventually reach they destinations, albeit significantly later than planned. ABC7 News highlighted that the region's other airports, in Oakland and San Jose, were fortunately not affected by similar disruptions.
The ground delay program, a measure often used to regulate airport traffic during inclement weather, worked to ensure flight safety by requiring that aircraft not only delay departures but also arrivals to SFO. On a day when more than 900 flights were intended to grace the skies, these strong winds had other ideas, tangling up travelers' schedules in the process.
Average delays hovered around the 24-minute mark by 11 a.m., according to FlightRadar24, but the FAA had warned that these times could potentially deteriorate as the day progressed. Travelers were braced for average delays of nearly two hours, with some potentially stretching to three hours. Despite the turmoil, passengers were advised to stay updated directly with their airlines for the most current flight information.
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