FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Heavy traffic and long lines greeted travelers at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Sunday, one of the busiest travel days of the year as visitors headed home after Thanksgiving.

Cars were backed up at the terminal drop-off lanes, with bumper-to-bumper traffic stretching toward the airport entrance.

“It was just stacked, back to back,” said Victor, a traveler from New Orleans. “Sometimes it does get that way — my experience as I come here a lot. It was a lot.”

Inside the terminals, passengers faced crowded security lines as winter weather across the country caused widespread flight disruptions. More than 1,100 flights were canceled nationwide Sunday, and at FLL alone more than 50 cancellations and more than 300 delays were reported.

Victor, who visits South Florida every Thanksgiving to see family, said he arrived several hours early to avoid complications.

“It was just easier,” he said. “Get some work done, get started on the day tomorrow ahead of time.”

The travel headaches follow a month already marked by a lengthy government shutdown that caused additional flight cancellations. Some travelers said they were grateful to avoid those issues this time.

“Thankfully, I must be lucky,” Victor said. “I travel about once a month and I rarely get affected really severely.”

As flight delays continued into the evening, many travelers hoped they would share Victor’s luck getting home smoothly.

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