Winter storm was expected to drench the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states with rain through Thursday morning and to bring snow to the Midwest through New England. That could have caused serious trouble to people traveling for the holidays. Some airlines were even advising customers headed to destinations such as New York, Boston and Philadelphia that they could reschedule their travel without a penalty or receive a refund. Despite the storm Thanksgiving travel started smoothly Wednesday at Orlando International Airport.
Delays were concentrated in the Northeast, where the storm brought wet weather to already busy airports and snow to inland areas. By midafternoon Wednesday, Orlando International Airport reported three canceled flights and 65 delays of more than 30 minutes. These are the times when we’re reminded it’s one system,” said MCO spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell. “If planes can’t get out of their point of origin, then there are delays here.” The longest delay was two hours, airport officials said. Southwest Airlines, the busiest carrier at Orlando International, said operations were getting back on track Wednesday afternoon after minor delays because of the storm. Spokesman Dan Landson said about 75 percent of the airline’s system had great weather, which helped things run more smoothly. Allegiant, the primary carrier at Orlando Sanford International Airport, said the airline has only a handful of flights scheduled Wednesday, which is a quieter day for departures from the Seminole County airport. Airline spokeswoman Jessica Wheeler reported no problems at midday Tuesday. Officials at Orlando International predict air traffic will be back to normal by Saturday and Sunday, which are forecast to be the busiest days at OIA during the Thanksgiving holiday.