NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — Thousands of travelers faced delays at LaGuardia Airport on Thursday as storms around the country threatened to disrupt a busy Labor Day weekend travel period.
Very few flights departed on time Thursday evening, though cancellations remained limited. Around half of the flights arriving at and departing from LaGuardia were delayed.
Among those waiting was a group of seven travelers from the Bronx heading west for a family reunion. Their departure had been delayed by more than two hours as they hoped to leave before overnight storms moved in.
“I don’t want to be in the air when it starts storming. I don’t like turbulence. Turbulence on its own without the storm is bad enough,” said Norma, who was traveling for Labor Day weekend.
The delays came as airlines prepared for one of the busiest travel periods of the holiday weekend. More than 280,000 flights were projected for Labor Day weekend, with the highest number scheduled Thursday. The Transportation Security Administration is expecting to screen close to 3 million travelers on Thursday, Friday and Monday.
Travelers connecting through major hubs also encountered disruptions.
“Chicago was, like, seemingly the big hang up for delays. So, we were delayed. Our original flight was delayed. We were lucky, honestly, that our connecting flight was delayed. Otherwise, we would have missed it altogether,” said Laura, who arrived about two hours later than expected.
Road travel was also heavy Thursday as holiday travelers headed to their destinations. Drivers were paying an average of $4.14 per gallon for gasoline, about a dollar more than a year ago.
Some travelers experienced only minor delays. Tony, arriving from Toronto, said his flight was delayed about 20 minutes.
“I was looking at the radar on my phone. I see if the weather’s going to be bad here. And usually when you come in from Toronto, whatever happens there, 24 hours later, we get smacked. So, this is relatively okay,” he said.
For travelers leaving Friday, AAA said the busiest time to be on the road will be between noon and 8 p.m. Those driving to airports are advised to allow extra travel time, while weather conditions are expected to be more favorable for air travel.
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