Lingering flight delays, cancellations from severe weather still impacting PHL travelers
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Wednesday is shaping up to be another difficult day for travelers trying to fly in and out of Philadelphia because of the weather. It was a busy morning at Philadelphia International Airport with a lot of families getting ready to take their summer vacations.
While the lines have moved quickly, the weather continues to affect flights -- both arriving and departing. More than 100 flights coming into and out of Philadelphia have been delayed since 12 a.m. Wednesday, according to Flight Aware, and passengers are understandably frustrated.
Strong storms were to blame as thunder and lightning filled the sky over Philadelphia. That led to long lines at airport terminals, security checkpoints and rental car lots.
A few frustrated passengers said they had to rearrange their travel plans and waited a long time to do so.
"We got an email this morning at 5 a.m. saying our flight was delayed," Madison Smetana said.
High school friends, Smetana and Skylar Dobson, are trying to fly out for a girl's trip to Miami over the Fourth of July holiday.
"Our arrival was supposed to be at 5 p.m. in Miami and now we won't get there hopefully by 10 p.m. at night," Smetana said.
"If it doesn't get delayed, again," Dobson said.
"We sat on the tarmac for four hours and then got here and we're able to get a rental car," Christina Bergstrand said, "but waited for like three and a half hours. It's exhausting, but again, what can you do? It's the weather."
"I wanted to try and fly out earlier than my scheduled flight hoping to avoid the problems that are coming," another traveler said, "but that didn't work."
"There's a ripple effect across the country," John Gagliano said. "Airline staffing is still not at its pre-pandemic levels."
Aviation expert Gagliano said it's truly the perfect storm heading into the holiday weekend. More delays could be coming, he added.
"The demand is likely to be super high this holiday weekend with the Fourth of July coming up, [which] leads to a potentially delayed filled weekend," Gagliano said.
A spokesperson with Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is predicting some 572,000 passengers to come in and out of the airport from June 30 through July 6, which is 5% more than this time last year.
"That was the idea. I guess we missed the mark even so," Smetana said.
Earlier this week, a traveler from Miami decided to rent a car at PHL and drive down to Florida from Philadelphia after his flight was pulled from the tarmac due to lightning and severe weather.
According to an airport spokesperson, Friday and Saturday are supposed to be the two busiest days of travel for the Fourth of July holiday.
When it comes to flight refunds, a AAA spokesperson said weather is typically not covered. The spokesperson's best advice when severe weather could affect your flight plans is to try to reschedule ahead of time because airlines will typically work with you if they see a strong system incoming.
The biggest piece of advice: Pack your patience.
