NEW ORLEANS — There wasn't much Christmas cheer at Louis Armstrong International Airport on Sunday. Instead, there were long lines, rerouted luggage, and lots of waiting as many flights were delayed for hours or canceled altogether.
“We originally had a flight for Christmas day, and we were going to come home early and see my husband’s side of the family. But they told us last minute they rebooked our flight,” Davina Hill said.
Hill was trying to get to Seattle for the holiday after visiting family in Mississippi.
She and her husband were rebooked for a later date next week. After searching for a way to get back home, they had a little luck, but it came at a price.
“We found a last-minute flight and I wanted him to go home and see his family. It’s been a very hard year so he got on the flight and we got separated, unfortunately,” Hill said. “I got a flight with another airline for a little bit closer, so hopefully that will work out and nothing gets delayed.”
Hill isn’t the only one who ended up spending the majority of her Christmas in an airport. Many flights were delayed for hours, with some eventually being canceled, like the Ward family’s flight to New York.
They were supposed to depart at 9 A.M. on Sunday morning. After it was delayed twice, then canceled, they decided to book another flight on a different airline.
“Exhausting horrible so we had to rebook on another airline and now we can’t get our bags back from Delta. So we’re hoping because our next flight is at 7, that we can get our bags back and check into our new flight and we’ll get there around 11,” Winona Ward said.
While they booked a flight for Christmas Day, travelers weren’t planning to spend the entirety of the holiday in the airport.
“It’s frustrating it’s very frustrating. I’m sure everyone’s doing all they can do and a lot of people don’t know all the information, so it’s just sad because you want to be with your family on Christmas and things get canceled and changed,” Hill said.
The Wards were hoping to be on a carriage ride in Central Park.
“We had reservations at a restaurant, and we were going to do a carriage ride in New York, central park. So that’s all canceled and we have tickets to shows all week so we’ll see if we ever get there,” the Ward family said.
Despite the frustrating change of plans, travelers are trying to keep their Christmas spirits high.
“It is Christmas. You can’t change it, you can’t fight it. Just try to keep your spirits up,” Ward said.
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