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Winter weather throughout the country causing delays at Orlando International Airport

By Sabrina Maggiore, WFTV.com and Charles Frazier, WFTV.com
By Sabrina Maggiore, WFTV.com and Charles Frazier, WFTV.com

ORLANDO, Fla. — Winter weather hundreds of miles away is making life difficult for travelers in Central Florida.

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There were hundreds of delays at Orlando International Airport on Tuesday, forcing some travelers to make new plans.

According to flight tracking website FlightAware, more than 400 flights were delayed at OIA Tuesday and nearly 50 were canceled altogether.

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Whether they were due to windchill warnings in the Midwest or the active storm over New England and New York, the Federal Aviation Administration is warning passengers of delays as flights at OIA have slowed to a crawl.

“You gotta wing it,’ stranded traveler Jaivon Myree said. “We’re just gonna wing it and see where it takes us.”

Myree and his friend Anthony Olive were stranded at OIA as they tried to figure out how to pass the next 48 hours.

“I got here around eight o’clock. My first Flight was at 10:45. They pushed it back to 11:40 and after 11:40, they just cancelled it,” Olive recalled.

The two friends were in town for a flag football tournament. Now, they’re scrambling to find a hotel.

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“You don’t really want to sit in the airport for two days,” Myree said. “You can’t shower, you can’t brush your teeth. You can’t just be comfortable.”

Passenger Alesheia Stallworth says she’s been trying since Sunday to get back to Chicago after a trip to Puerto Rico.

“It’s been a nightmare,” Stallworth said.

Her original flight form Atlanta to Chicago was canceled, so she rerouted to OIA, but the flight out of Orlando Tuesday morning was canceled again.

“We’re missing work and everything,” Stallworth said.

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For Kim and Haleigh Finstead, a delay at OIA means they miss a connecting flight to Vancouver Island.

“This has never happened to us before,’ Finstead said. “I really don’t know how it works.”

The FAA says it’s important to get to the airport early amid possible cancelations and delays. As for those impacted, commitments vary by airlines when it comes to meal vouchers and hotels.

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