Winter storms up north could create holiday travel nightmare across the country
MIAMI - It could be a travel nightmare for those trying to make it home for Christmas.
Airlines are already expecting the boards to be lit up with delays and cancellations due to bad winter weather across the country.
AAA said nearly 113 million Americans are expected to travel for the holidays, up more than three-and-a-half million since last year. Thursday was supposed to be the busiest travel day of the holiday season, with more than 47-thousand flights scheduled in the US. Now it appears, Thursday night into Friday will be the worst, weather-wise, for travel.
Miami International Airport expects 2.5 million passengers between December 21st and January 6th.
That is a 1.5% increase from 2021.
Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International airport is expecting 1.6 million travelers in that time, which is a 13% jump from this time last year.
However, a predicted winter storm could complicate travel.
The National Weather Service has issued winter storm alerts from the Plains to the Eastern Seaboard.
Nearly 50 million Americans are under a winter storm warning, watch, or advisory.
Several airlines have announced plans on how they will handle this storm. American Airlines said it is all hands on deck to make sure they can get customers to their destinations with limited disruptions. They added that they have teams in place preparing for this.
United Airlines said they will need to make adjustments if they have to.
So far, American, Southwest, and Delta have started offering waivers and vouchers to customers to rebook their flights without any change fees.
If your flight is canceled due to weather, you are entitled to a refund.
"You are entitled to a full cash refund of your fare if you don't end up flying that or the airline has an obligation to get you to your destination within a reasonable amount of time," said Clint Henderson. He is Managing Editor at The Points Guy, a site that shares tips on air travel.
One traveler at Miami International Airport said she's already had trouble.
"Because of delays and some hiccups in the Miami Airport as well, I ended up being two hours late so missed my connecting flight to Nashville. So, I've been up all night here," said Andra Malina.
Travelers are urged to get to the airport three hours before a domestic flight and three and a half hours before an international one. Make sure to check in online before you arrive at the airport. If you don't have TSA precheck, expedite the screening process by making sure the necessary items are checked in the bag so you are not stopped during the screening process.
Those flying out of Miami International Airport are urged to take advantage of "MIA Reserve."
"People should really take advantage of that," he said. "You can reserve your place in line at the TSA checkpoint and bypass the other lines, so, at peak times, you can go online at our website and reserve your time in the TSA checkpoint line, and there's a dedicated lane for you," said airport spokesman Greg Chin.
For those who are scheduled to be flying this week, one bit of advice is to download your airline's app as you'll get instant notifications of any changes. Staying on top of updates can help prevent you from being caught off guard.