The Thanksgiving travel rush is now in reverse as millions of people head home. But passengers at DFW Airport faced more delays and cancellations Saturday — not only because of weather, but also staffing shortages.
Several travelers said their flights were delayed by 45 minutes to three hours. One passenger noted snowy conditions in northern destinations added to the slowdown.
“We’re delayed, but we’ll entertain ourselves,” one traveler said.
“My flight is delayed today because flying north, it’s getting a little snowy up there, but hopefully it’s not a super big delay,” another added.
Weather and staffing disruptions
Flights were first impacted by a ground stop due to thunderstorms, which lasted about 90 minutes and disrupted schedules. Shortly after, the FAA reported ground delays for arriving flights tied to staffing shortages.
“You never know. Even when it’s not the holidays, I went to Tennessee, sat for eight hours, so it happens,” one traveler said.
Holiday crowds add to strain
On top of weather and staffing issues, travelers are navigating one of the busiest holiday periods of the year. DFW officials expect about 3 million passengers during Thanksgiving week, with Sunday projected to be the busiest day – nearly 270,000 travelers expected to pass through the airport.
“We came in on Tuesday night, and we are leaving on Saturday night to avoid the Wednesday to Sunday travel rush,” one traveler said.
Airbus recall briefly impacts flights
Going into the weekend, flights were also impacted by an Airbus recall requiring immediate repairs to thousands of planes. American Airlines said Saturday afternoon that its affected aircraft have been repaired.
“I know this is not always the best situation to be stuck in an airport, but for us, it also gives us an opportunity to meet people and speak with them,” one traveler said.
