MIAMI – Travel disruptions continued for passengers at South Florida’s airports on Wednesday as flights were canceled nationwide due to multiple weather issues.
Local 10 News spoke with travelers that were experiencing delays and cancellations to what’s already being considered a holiday travel mess across the country.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there have been over 38,000 delays and cancellations nationwide over the past few days.
Christoff Langstaff told Local 10 he was trying to get to Germany after his flight was canceled, but his only option was to buy a new, costly ticket.
“They’re asking you to pay for another flight?” asked Local 10 News reporter Christian De La Rosa.
“Yeah, for $4,000,” Langstaff said.
From storms in the northeastern part of the U.S. to scorching temperatures in Texas and smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketing the Midwest, airline officials are blaming bad weather and a shortage of traffic controllers.
Adding to the chaos was a Delta flight from Atlanta to Charlotte that had to make an emergency landing when its front landing gear did not deploy, according to ABC News.
Authorities said no one was hurt after the plane landed.
Another flight traveling from Detroit to Fort Lauderdale had to be diverted to Atlanta due to a ‘passenger disturbance’ involving a Delta employee, the FAA confirmed Wednesday.
Delta released the following statement, saying the incident involved a passenger and one of their flight attendants:
“Delta does not tolerate threats and abuse of any kind towards our people. At Delta, the safety and well-being of our customers and crew is, and will always be, our number one priority. We are in contact with our flight attendant to provide support and are cooperating with authorities in their investigation. Delta has long been a leading advocate on behalf of our people and our customers to ensure the aggressive and timely prosecution of unruly passengers.”
For more information on how to rebook a flight due to bad weather, or how to request a refund, click here.