Massive winter storm likely to wreak havoc on air travel during holidays
SAN FRANCISCO – Travelers already seeing lines at busy Bay Area airports as they head to their holiday destinations could soon face a Christmas mess due to a huge winter storm.
The timing of the storm is bad news for the early peak of the holiday travel season, with airports already seeing a wave of flight cancellations.
Thursday and Friday were expected to be the busiest travel days ahead of Christmas on Sunday.
"I'm hoping that there will be no delays," said Margie Austria of Sunnyvale.
The lines at SFO were already long Wednesday afternoon with holiday travelers trying to beat the storm that is expected to cripple major Midwest airport hubs in Detroit, Minneapolis and Chicago.
"Even though the weather might be beautiful where you are, the plane might not be able to get to you, because it can't get out of those other locations," explained CBS News travel editor Peter Greenburg.
The storm already made driving dangerous in the Pacific Northwest, forcing the cancellation of about 200 flights in and out of Seattle on Tuesday.
The system is now lining up to dump snow in the Midwest and will head as a far south as Texas between now and Christmas eve.
Travelers KPIX spoke to at SFO were still hopeful.
"Hoping to see family I haven't seen in a while. A couple of years, so it's great to have a family reunion," said San Diego resident Anu Hazzan.
Most airlines are offering waivers for their normal change fees for travelers willing to book at a later date.
The best advice for holiday flyers is to stay flexible and try not to get stuck at the airport. They should also always check for cancellations beforehand and be prepared for a change in plans.