CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Thursday was one of the busiest days of holiday travel, and for some airline passengers, delays were an issue heading to Charleston’s Yeager Airport.
At California’s Los Angeles International Airport, increased flights, construction and bad weather led to major tarmac tie-ups.
Larissa Cottrill flew to Charleston from LAX with a connecting flight in Charlotte, North Carolina. She said it was a headache to get home.
“It was definitely a challenge getting here,” Cottrill told MetroNews. “Actually, it was multiple delays out of LAX, so I was very lucky to get here.”
Planes waited for hours to get to gates. In some cases, passengers waited hours to take off only to have their flights canceled.
Cottrill, who serves in the U.S. Navy, said it was nice to finally make it back to the Mountain State to spend time with her mother and sister.
“Just spending time with family over the holidays, taking some time off,” she said. “I come every year and it’s (the delays) expected, so I was prepared for it.”
Runa Begum flew in from Dallas, Texas and said she had no trouble getting here.
“I flew from Dallas to North Carolina and then from there to here. It was perfect. No delays, nothing,” Begum said. She came to Charleston to visit her brother, sister-in-law and nephews.
Begum said this time of year definitely puts her in a good mood because she gets to see family.
“Just the spirit,” she said with a smile. “Everybody is like really happy to see their families get together, enjoy the time, that’s all they wanted, so I’m so excited to see my nephews!”
As of Thursday morning, all flights scheduled to arrive at Yeager Airport were on time.