ATLANTA – Travelers flying Delta should expect “several hundred more cancellations” this weekend, according to the airline.
What we know:
Delta released an update around 5 p.m. Saturday about how it’s trying to get the airline back on track after Friday’s storms.
More than 100,000 people are working to get Delta flights back to normal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Flight tracking site FlightAware reported more than 1,000 delays and over 170 cancellations at the airport Friday evening. Delta said hundreds of those flights were operated by the airline.
The issues left thousands of people stranded in Atlanta overnight, some even sleeping in the airport because hotels were full.
Delta said more than 100 aircraft were inspected Friday into Saturday because of hail.
What they’re saying:
“By early this morning, our world-class maintenance team had already returned many aircraft to service after thorough overnight inspections,” said Erik Snell, Delta’s chief customer experience officer, in a statement.
“Severe weather in Atlanta on the evening of June 27 brought intense thunderstorms, hail, windshear and reports of microburst winds — causing significant disruption to Delta’s largest hub where around 900 of our flights flow each day,” he said.
Impact on Travelers:
Flyers at the airport say Delta’s response to the delays started off slow.
“There was just no Delta representatives around to give you an indication of where to go or what to do,” said Brian Barnett, who was trying to get to New York’s JFK airport.
Barnett spent all night in the airport after arriving from London.
“It’s been rough traveling with a 10-year-old going backward and forward and there’s not really much communication from Delta about what’s been going on in the airport,” he said.
Teresa Piper said she spent 9 hours on the phone with Delta trying to book her group of 53 people on new flights.
“You can tell people are getting on flights now because it’s thinning out. But when we first came in this morning I mean you couldn’t even maneuver,” said Teresa Piper, who was trying to get to Tulsa.
She hopes to be home late tonight.
“The bags are already on their way to Tulsa and will be sitting there waiting for us. And so hopefully there’s still a Delta agent there when we arrive,” she said.
What you can do:
Delta said to check the Fly Delta app for updates on travel.
The Source: This article includes information from Delta via a press release as well as the FAA, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and the FOX 5 Storm Team. This article was updated to add information from people interviewed by FOX 5’s Kim Leoffler.
