Even a day full of delays couldn’t crush holiday cheer at Tampa International Airport.
“I am so excited, I cannot wait,” said Nancy Beidler as she sat waiting for her son’s flight from Chicago to touch down.
Friday marked one of the busiest travel days of the year. However, bad weather along the eastern seaboard, plus wild winds and rain in the Tampa Bay area, had the flight boards lighting up red with delays. By 10 p.m. TIA had more 200 flights delayed, departures and arrivals.
At times, TIA says it could only operate one runway due to wind.
“We are actually delayed by a half hour, so hopefully that doesn’t get any worse,” said Tricia Marcolini, flying to Buffalo.
Things weren’t much better for local drivers. Strong winds up to 60 MPH closed the Sunshine Skyway for much of the day, forcing some to find a detour.
But neither delay nor detour deterred folks like Mark Stergio, waiting for his daughter to fly in from Washington D.C.
“Haven’t seen her in months,” he said, dealing with nearly an 1.5 hour delay. “Just can’t wait to see her!”
It was a sentiment shared across the terminal, as we watched friends and families reunite.
“Wonderful, wonderful!” said Sandi Wells of seeing her grandson David, a Marine who flew in from California. “We haven’t all been together in years.”
“I can’t describe the amount of relief I have being here,” David added.
Proving there’s really nothing like being home for the holidays…no matter how long it takes to get there.