Flight delays due to rain and storms impact holiday travelers at DFW, Love Field
NORTH TEXAS – What was already going to be a busy day for holiday travel is getting more difficult for people flying out of or connecting through DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field, as hundreds of flights were delayed.
A system of rain and storms moved slowly across North Texas, leading the FAA to issue two ground stops for planes from most of the country flying to DFW. One was in effect for much of the morning, and another in the early afternoon was lifted at 1:19 p.m.
Some flights to Dallas Love Field were also under a ground stop Tuesday afternoon.
Planes arriving late can delay the next flights on their schedules, causing further delays throughout the day. Departure delays from DFW varied throughout the day, sometimes reaching two hours, according to flight tracking site FlightAware. Planes headed for DFW saw delays of up to three and a half hours. Departure delays at Love Field were as long as an hour.
More than 750 flights into or out of DFW were delayed, as were more than 240 into or out of Love Field.
The weather is the second significant travel disruption of the day at DFW. Just before 6 a.m., American Airlines and its subsidiaries halted their operations nationwide after software needed to release flights experienced an outage.
The issue was resolved at DFW just after 7 a.m., with flights resuming nationwide within the hour.
"We sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this morning. It's all hands on deck as our team is working diligently to get customers where they need to go as quickly as possible," the Fort Worth-based company said in a statement.
Anyone flying this week should check with their airline for their flight status before heading to the airport.