While conditions improved on Christmas Day, the airport still logged hundreds of delays and plenty of cancellations.
DALLAS — Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport saw improved travel conditions on Christmas Day compared to Christmas Eve, though dozens of cancellations and hundreds of delays still left some passengers stranded during the holiday.
The disruptions follow a troubled Christmas Eve when American Airlines temporarily halted takeoffs for an hour due to what they called vendor technology issues. Subsequent storms in North Texas made matters worse.
According to FlightAware, DFW recorded over 800 delays and more than 140 cancellations on Christmas Eve. While conditions improved on Christmas Day, the airport still logged over 300 delays and more than 75 cancellations.
Among those affected was the Thompson family, who missed their connecting flight to Florida after American Airlines delayed their inbound flight to Dallas. Instead of celebrating Christmas poolside in Orlando as planned, they’re stranded until tomorrow.
“It’s pretty bad, especially on Christmas. My wife’s stressed out, she’s just ready to go,” Sam Thompson said, while his daughter added, “It’s kind of upsetting because we’re supposed to be at the pool having fun but we’ve been here a long time.”
The holiday travel challenges follow recent difficulties at DFW. During the post-Thanksgiving rush on Dec. 1, the airport experienced unprecedented vehicle traffic, with some passengers abandoning their cars to walk along International Parkway with luggage to avoid missing flights. In response, DFW executives say they have added patrol officers, installed new signage and suspended construction during peak travel periods.
Airport officials expect approximately 5 million passengers between Dec. 20 and Jan. 7. Travelers are advised to arrive early with extra time during this period.
