Airlines canceled multiple flights out of Grand Rapids airport, disrupting holiday travel
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — More than half of flights departing from the airport in Grand Rapids were canceled Friday, Dec. 23, due to blizzard conditions, including snowstorms and high winds.
According to FlightAware, which tracks airport delays and cancellations, 40 flights were canceled at Gerald R. Ford International Airport today. This is 58% of all departures scheduled for the day.As of 1pm, 6 more flights are delayed.
Thursday was one of the busiest travel days for the airport, and that night, around 5pm, snow rolled across Lake Michigan and flights began to be cancelled. flight aware.
Dutch resident Brian Bernelis had hoped to leave Grand Rapids airport Thursday night to spend Christmas with his parents in Arizona, but American Airlines’ 6:10 p.m. Stuck in the states.
“It was a direct flight to Phoenix. I was on my way when I got the notice that it was delayed by an hour,” Vernellis told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. I thought I was going to win, but then I realized the visibility was really bad, like less than half a mile (0.5 miles).”
The lines at Grand Rapids Airport weren’t too bad, Vernelis said, but as I stood in line to check my bags, red flight cancellation notifications started popping up on the departure screen.
“I was probably third in line when this lady came up and said she was going to cancel all flights. She then went back behind the desk and canceled the Dallas and Phoenix flights.” They say they’re trying to let you through,” Bernellis said.. “When we got to the gate, the flight had been cancelled.”
Verneris said there was a long queue at baggage claim to retrieve his checked bag, so he found an empty corner and rebooked the flight on the airline’s phone app.
“I rebooked through the app on Christmas Day because the line to speak to the airline[attendant]continued all the way to baggage claim,” he said. “I could hear quite a few people complaining and there were a lot of annoyed faces. The only time I waited the longest was when I was waiting for my luggage to be off the plane.”
Officials at Gerald R. Ford International Airport were not reached for comment on Friday, but the airport posted a message on social media on Wednesday telling travelers the airport is preparing for inclement weather, according to Sabo PR. Guaranteed.
“Our team is working around the clock to keep the runways clean in preparation for the expected snowfall this weekend,” the airport said in a post on social media. We have it and all the equipment is up and running.”
Other Midwestern airports have also experienced numerous flight cancellations and delays, with Chicago O’Hare Airport reporting 212 flight cancellations on Friday and Detroit Metro Airport reporting another 164 flight cancellations.
More than 4,000 flights were canceled during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year across the United States.
Ford Airport encouraged passengers to contact the airline directly if they had any issues with their trip.
“Passengers are encouraged to visit the airline’s website for updates on flight status,” the airport posted. “If you have any questions about potential delays or cancellations, baggage handling, check-in processes, etc., you should contact the airline.”
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