Beryl impacts air travel at Texas airports, many travelers stuck in DFW
Hurricane Beryl is wreaking havoc on travel plans across the state, just as many are wrapping up their July Fourth holiday weekend.
Hundreds of flights have been canceled into and out of Houston and the entire Texas coast.
As Beryl moves north through East Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, airports along the path are bracing for more delays and cancellations.
TEXAS AIRPORTS FEEL THE EFFECTS OF HOLIDAY TRAVEL AND BERYL
Impacts from the storm and holiday are already being felt in North Texas, with travelers going back to Houston now stranded at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field.
“I was at a wedding party and everyone’s either stuck in Colorado or driving back because our flights were canceled, changed, or were delayed,” said Monica Valdez, a Houston resident stuck in DFW. “I’m just trying to get back to Houston, but I’m happy to be back in Texas. So I’ve made it this far.”
According to aviation tracking site FlightAware, Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport is leading the nation in canceled flights with almost 1,000 total flights canceled into and out of the airport as of 8 a.m. Monday. On Monday morning, there were more than 220 cancellations into and out of Houston Hobby Airport.
United was also leading the nation in cancellations, with more than 400 hundred canceled flights. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is a close second with about 270 canceled flights on Monday morning.
Mia Aquirre was trying to get back to Corpus Christi to resume summer school classes at Texas A&M Corpus Christi but ended up getting stuck at DFW Airport.
“Thank God that I have family here. Imagine paying out of pocket being a college student. It’s just inconvenient for everyone, but we just want to make sure everyone’s safe at the end of the day,” she said. “I’m trying to get back home to my university but my flight got delayed and we’re supposed to have classes on Tuesday – but because of the hurricane and stuff, I’m just kind of worried about that. We’re just kind of going with the flow and praying and hoping for the best.”
Throughout the morning Monday, DFW Airport experienced some sizable impacts — with 91 delays and 29 cancellations as of 10 a.m.
Dallas Love Field had 12 delays and 12 cancellations as of 10 a.m.
AIRLINES WAIVE CHANGE FEES FOR THOSE AFFECTED BY BERYL
Multiple airlines have issued travel alerts due to Beryl and have waived change fees for those who are flying to and from affected areas.
Click the links below for details from each airline:
TSA REPORTS RECORD-BREAKING TRAVEL
This comes as the Transportation Security Administration moves through a record-breaking travel season so far this summer.
The TSA reported in late June that it screened a record 2.99 million passengers on Sunday, June 23. That record was quickly broken after the July 4th holiday rush.
Preliminary passenger volume reports from a majority of airports reveals that TSA officers screened over 3 million passengers on Sunday, July 7.
“We expect this summer to be our busiest ever and summer travel usually peaks over the Independence Day holiday,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement in June. “The traveling public is on the move, which is a sign of a healthy economy. We are ready, along with our airline and airport partners, to handle this boost in passenger volumes.”
Eight of the 10 busiest days in TSA history have already happened so far this year.