SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV/CNS) — One of the busiest travel days of the year got off to a foggy start on Friday at the San Diego International Airport.
Heavy fog forced the Federal Aviation Association to issue a ground stop Friday morning, and flights were delayed an average of nearly five hours.
According to the flight-tracking website FlightAware, there were more than 300 delayed flights -- incoming and outgoing -- at the airport as of 3 p.m. Friday, and dozens of cancellations. It was unknown how many of those were directly related to the heavy fog.
You can check the status of flight arrivals and departures on the airport's website here.
The fog eventually cleared out, but the damage was already done, leaving travelers like Mary Alvarado, who was traveling to Pittsburgh, frustrated.
"Originally, we're booked on American Airlines, but when we woke up this morning, it's like 'Your flight's been canceled,'" Alvarado said. "They want to send us to Florida and then stay overnight and then take another connecting flight before we get to Pittsburgh."
Alvarado also said she was skeptical about checking her bags because she did not want to experience any further inconveniences.
Ryan Armstrong, who is traveling to Atlanta on Friday, shared Alvarado's frustration.
"We were supposed to leave at 6:15 a.m.," Armstrong said. "They pushed the flight back to 12 p.m., and then from Atlanta, we leave at 9 o'clock and don't get back to our hometown until midnight."
Travelers like Ariel Torres, who as headed to Tampa, said this was the first time she was traveling in four years because she's been in the service, and she was caught off guard Friday.
"I was driving. Actually, I started to get the notifications like, 'Hey, your flight is getting delayed,' and honestly, it's very frustrating," Torres said. "Tensions are already high naturally, so I'm already on alert. I was just like, 'All right, here we go.'"
Airport officials said SAN expects around 80,000 travelers to come through each day for the holiday season.
The thousands of travelers will have to pay attention not only to the delays by the hour but also monitor the potential government shutdown, which could impact travel schedules even more.
SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Just as the holiday travel season was kicking into gear, thick fog contributed to numerous flight delays Friday at San Diego International Airport.
"Travel Alert: If you're coming to SAN this morning, please be aware we're experiencing some flight delays due to fog," airport officials posted on social media shortly after 8 a.m. "Check with your airline before leaving for the airport."
According to the flight-tracking website FlightAware, there were nearly 160 delayed flights -- incoming and outgoing -- at the airport as of 9 a.m. Friday, and 21 cancellations. It was unknown how many of those were directly related to the heavy fog.
Check flight arrival/departures: https://www.san.org/Flights/Flight-Status
The holiday travel season will officially kick off on Saturday. Nearly 10 million Southern California residents are anticipated to travel 50 miles or more from home between Saturday and Jan. 1, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California, the Southern California affiliate of the American Automobile Association federation of motor clubs.
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