Hurricane Beryl is wreaking havoc on travel plans across the state just as many are wrapping up the July 4th holiday.
Hundreds of flights have been canceled to and from Houston and up and down the Texas coast.
As Beryl moves north past eastern Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, airports along the way are bracing for more delays and cancellations.
TEXAS AIRPORTS FEEL THE EFFECTS OF VACATION TRAVEL AND BERYL
The impacts of the storm and the holiday are already being felt in North Texas, with travelers returning to Houston now stranded at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field.
“I was in a wedding party and everyone was either stuck in Colorado or flying back because our flights were canceled, changed or 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 made it this far.”
According to aviation tracking website FlightAware, Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport is leading the nation in canceled flights, with nearly 1,000 canceled flights arriving and departing from the airport as of 8 a.m. Monday. As of Monday morning, there were more than 220 cancellations arriving and departing from Houston Hobby Airport.
United also led the nation in cancellations, with more than 400 flights canceled. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines was second, with about 270 flights canceled as of Monday morning.
Mia Aquirre was trying to get back to Corpus Christi to resume summer classes at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, but ended up getting stuck at DFW Airport.
“Thank God I have family here. Imagine paying out of pocket as a college student. It’s inconvenient for everyone, but we just want to make sure everyone is safe at the end of the day,” she said. “I’m trying to get home to my college, but my flight got delayed and we were supposed to have classes on Tuesday — but because of the hurricane and stuff, I’m kind of worried about that. We’re just going with the flow and praying and hoping for the best.”
Throughout Monday morning, DFW Airport saw some pretty big 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
Several airlines have issued travel alerts due to Beryl and waived change fees for those flying to and from affected areas.
Please click on the links below for details of each airline:
Delta Airlines
American Airlines
Southwest Airlines
United Airlines
Spirit Airlines
JetBlue Airlines
Border Airlines
TSA REPORTS RECORD-BREAKING TRIPS
This comes as the Transportation Security Administration experiences a record travel season 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 shattered after the July 4 holiday rush.
Preliminary passenger volume reports from most airports reveal that TSA agents screened more than 3 million passengers on Sunday, July 7.
“We expect this summer to be our busiest ever, and summer travel typically peaks during the Independence Day holiday,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement in June. “The traveling public is moving, which is a sign of a healthy economy. We stand ready, along with our airline and airport partners, to handle this increase in passenger volumes.”
Eight of the 10 busiest days in TSA history have already happened this year.
