NORFOLK, Va. — On Monday, thousands of flights were canceled or delayed across the country because of the winter weather. Those disruptions forced people to find new flights at Norfolk International Airport.
Grant Leicester came from Florida to visit family in Virginia Beach, but he had to find a new way back home after he said Southwest Airlines canceled his flight out of Norfolk.
“I got here this morning, my family dropped me off. I looked at my app and no bueno; not there, it said it's been canceled,” said Leicester.
Debi Wilson is from California and now she may have to stay in Hampton Roads a little longer.
“Came to visit my daughter, son-in-law, and grandson for Christmas and getting stranded here,” said Wilson.
Others flying Southwest Airlines said their flights are canceled or delayed until later this week. Bryan Rolle said he came to the airport early in the morning to find out he had to find a new flight.
“I’m very frustrated because I’m trying to go to a funeral and it’s a huge inconvenience for me because I got up early to make it on time, and then next thing you know everyone’s flight is canceled out of nowhere,” said Rolle.
A Southwest Airlines spokesperson said they are still experiencing network issues as a result of this weekend's winter storm and are working to fix the issues.
They also say some people on those canceled flights may not be able to fly out until Saturday, due to available space. Below is their full statement:
"...We are still experiencing disruptions across our network as a result of Winter Storm Elliott’s lingering effects on the totality of our operation. With the weather now considerably more favorable, we continue work to stabilize and improve our operation. We are re-accommodating as many Customers as possible, based on available space, whose itineraries have been disrupted. Those whose flights have been canceled may request a full refund or receive a flight credit, which does not expire. It is not accurate to say all flights are delayed until 12/31, but Customers whose flights have been canceled may not be re-accommodated until then due to available space. Basically, we can’t bump a Customer with a guaranteed seat on a future flight to accommodate a Customer who was disrupted. We do encourage Customers to confirm flight status at Southwest.com or on the Southwest app."
Southwest Airlines staff members said people whose flights are canceled can get a full refund or a flight credit that does not expire.
Many of these travelers are not alone, according to Flight Aware there were more than 5,000 flight delays and more than 3,000 cancellations nationwide so far.