Weekend travelers at MSP Airport face long lines, cancellations and delays
MINNEAPOLIS -- Travelers at MSP had to deal with another day of long lines and cancellations Sunday.
The storm canceled or delayed nearly 200 departing flights Saturday, and 60 on Sunday. It also led to issues at security.
The airport says they were short-staffed because of the storm, so only one security checkpoint was open for a while.
"It's been kind of a nightmare," Jim Sexton, of Buffalo, said. "Our flight was canceled due to the weather. As far as the staffing and everything else goes, this is really my worst travel experience...We probably added $10,000 to our trip - probably more than $10,000 to our trip."
Terminal 1 experienced some of the longest lines.
One traveler told WCCO they got on the plane for their flight only for it to be canceled.
"We knew there would be some trouble, but nothing like we imagined," Summer Picha, of Plymouth, said. "We got to the airport at 1:48, lines like crazy, made it just in the nick of time, and found out our flight was delayed - delayed about four hours. Finally got on the flight, sitting there, buckled up, ready to go, they asked us to get off the flight."
It's a lot of the same issues that revealed themselves last Christmas: weather messes with planes and with crews, and airlines don't leave themselves the wiggle room to get themselves out of a jam.
Passengers WCCO spoke with Sunday were also frustrated because they say the airlines are getting away from personalized help and foisting them somewhere else.
"I would say it's more frustration because we get up there and they're like, 'It's canceled, we're sorry.' So there's not even like hope to help you get maybe on a different flight and there's no help to try to get you on a different flight," said traveler Rhea Parsons. "It seems like a long time ago it used to be if you missed a flight, somebody could get on the computer and try to find you another flight. But that's not how it was. It was like, 'Sorry, you just need to call Sun Country and talk about a refund.'"
On Sunday, Sun Country said it was "continuing to experience aircraft and crew out of position from yesterday's storm and have had to cancel a number of flights today." They also said passengers should watch their emails for instructions on what to do next.
Just because the weather is out of our control, that doesn't make you powerless.
Check your flight status before you leave for the airport. Make sure there's a spot for you to park, and look at the TSA wait times.
If your flight is canceled for any reason, you're entitled to cancel the reservation and get a refund. If you want to keep flying, call the airline or book online instead of waiting in line. Your credit card might also be a good resource for travel issues.
For staffing issues and mechanical delays, you should ask for meal or even hotel vouchers.