Local

Flight delays, heartfelt reunion mark busy weekend at OIA

ORLANDO, Fla. — An estimated 145,000 people passed through Orlando International Airport Saturday, marking the end to one of the busiest weeks the airport has seen.

“Parking was a little tight, but we managed to find a spot,” said Larry Lockwood.

Lockwood waited in the main terminal with the rest of his family. They were surprising his granddaughter, who is in the military and coming home after finishing basic training.

Less than 30 minutes after she arrived, security lines began growing and the wait time began climbing.

“I feel like they're trying to get to us as fast as possible, but they put us in one line at the end, but they have us, they have 15 TSA people that take an hour to get somewhere,” said Ryan Brown, a traveler.

When Brown got in line, the time said 18 to 23 minutes to get through security. He texted Channel 9’s Deanna Allbrittin later to say it took him almost an hour to get through.

And when he did get through, he started getting notifications that his departure time was changing, with delay after delay.

At one point during the day, more than half of the flights coming and going from OIA were delayed.

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