New Year off to a rocky start as canceled flights cause chaos

ORLADNO, Fla. — As the holiday travel chaos continues across the country, travelers at Orlando International are not immune as dozens of flights were canceled Saturday.

For passengers like Beth McKay from Baltimore, the new year has not gotten off to a good start.

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“It’s been a long, exhausting 12 hours, 24 hours, 12 hours. I don’t even know because I’m so tired. We slept on benches. we slept on what we could find,” McKay said.

On Saturday, more than 100 flights in and out of OIA had been canceled and FAA officials warned passengers to expect even more flight cancellations in the coming days.

Bad weather, staffing shortages, coupled with COVID-19, is causing chaos nationwide.

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After watching fireworks from a distance to ring in 2022, McKay said she and her family just want to get home.

“It’s not really fun to be spending your time in an airport and be concerned about being here so long with COVID,” she said.

Officials say travelers should allow for extra time and to check their flights before heading to the airport.

Read: Florida breaks single-day COVID-19 record with 75,900 cases

Traditionally, New Year’s Day is the second-busiest travel day at OIA, with more than 153,000 travelers expected to pass in and out of the airport.

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