Travelers face hours-long delays at DFW Airport amid holiday rush
NORTH TEXAS — Travelers are still reeling from Sunday's traffic disaster at DFW International Airport.
Travelers reported to CBS News Texas that they were stuck for hours in gridlock traffic from the tollbooth entrances all the way to Highway 183, claiming it was abnormally congested, even on the busiest travel day of the year.
Photos on social media show a sea of brake lights and standstill traffic going in and out of the airport, with drivers unable to move without waiting for hours.
"It was stressful, and it was a disaster," said DFW resident Emily Pickett.
Pickett said she was dropping off her daughter at the airport around 3 p.m. to head back to college and arriving at the airport two hours early wasn't early enough.
"Literally, we were not moving at all," Pickett said. "I hopped the curb, knew that we weren't going to make it, and left the airport. Pulled over, booked her a flight on Southwest, and took her immediately to Love Field, and there were no issues at Love Field."
Some folks also reported waiting for two to three hours for Ubers.
College student Aiden Lewis decided to take his travel headache into his own hands by getting out of his parent's car and walking more than a mile to the terminal to make his flight.
"We maybe moved like a hundred feet in like 30 minutes. We were able to get past the toll booth and get in. But, once we saw people walking, my dad was like, you might just have to walk, and I said you're probably right," Lewis said.
So why was the traffic so congested?
A DFW airport spokesperson said they issued several citations for people who illegally parked on curbs, which they say aided in the congestion. The airport also said, "There was definitely congestion at curbside and that likely included people parking and blocking traffic in the terminal area. While one lane of southbound International Parkway has a lane closure for construction, we also have a construction moratorium in place during the peak days which greatly reduces any other traffic impacts from construction, etc."
The airport also sent CBS News Texas another statement: "There was a heavy volume of holiday vehicle traffic for a few hours last night. We deployed extra police officers to the terminals to assist with the flow of traffic. The airport roads cleared up by around 9 p.m. DFW had approximately 260,000 customers at the airport on Sunday with the evening traffic being the heaviest time. We continue to encourage travelers to allow extra time to reach the airport during the busy holiday travel season."
Travel was busy, not just in DFW, but across the country. TSA says its officers screened about 3 million travelers at U.S. airports, making it the busiest day ever for the agency.
However, with the holidays far from over, travelers are concerned that Sunday's nightmare will repeat.
"I'm absolutely worried about the next holiday — 100% worried about traveling out of DFW. This will have me rethinking: Can I fly Southwest? Can I get there plenty early?" Pickett said.
The good news is the airport's traffic was smooth sailing Monday afternoon, with no major slowdowns in sight.
CBS News Texas did ask the airport how many citations they issued to drivers last night and is waiting to get those numbers.
