MIAMI — Before the winter weather chaos sets in, South Florida airports are seeing a surge of travelers, some escaping the cold and others flying into it.
Almost 10,000 flights across the U.S. set to take off over the weekend were canceled as a monster storm started to wreak havoc Saturday across much of the country and threatened to knock out power for days and snarl major roadways with dangerous ice, the Associated Press reported.
Michael Evan Harder flew in to Miami International Airport from Texas on Saturday and said he “thought it’d be much better out here.”
While some are seeking warmth, others are heading straight into frigid temperatures.
John Wilder, returning home to Boston with his wife Dottie after a Royal Caribbean cruise, said, “You figure you go away in January, you’re gonna go home and there’s a good chance there’s gonna be some snow.”
They’ll be stuck at home for a couple of days once the storm hits.
The winter storm is expected to affect more than half of the country, with a potentially historic blast of snow in the Northeast and ice from freezing rain in the southern states. That has led to widespread flight cancellations and delays.
Airlines including American, Delta, Southwest, and United have issued travel advisories and are allowing customers to rebook or cancel flights scheduled over the next several days.
Alex McHale, who flew in from Texas with a friend, said, “I would not recommend flying into this. Hang out somewhere warm like this.”
John and Dottie Wilder said they plan to prepare for the storm at home:
“Just shovel little bit at a time, enjoy it, watch football, hope that there’s some food in the house,” Dottie Wilder said.
John Wilder added, “What most people I think don’t understand is it’s not just the planes going to those areas, it’s the planes coming from those areas, so they can’t get here to pick you up and take you back, so it’s going to be a disaster for the East Coast everywhere.”
Travelers can get the latest flight information by clicking here.
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