Travel problems continue at MSP airport – KARE11.com

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Josephine Tarpeh of Brooklyn Park has been to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport twice since Christmas Eve, but has yet to fly.

“I’m so frustrated, to tell you the truth. I’m really done,” Tarpeh said.

Delta canceled Tarpeh’s flight to Philadelphia on Christmas Eve. She was supposed to board a flight on Christmas Day but said, “The plane is booked…there’s no seat for me.”

Now Tarpeh won’t leave until Tuesday.

On Christmas Day, 140 flights were canceled and another 73 were delayed at MSP airport.

As of 9 a.m. Monday, MSP reported 62 cancellations and 39 delayed flights.

Since Wednesday, tens of thousands of travelers across the country have faced flight delays and cancellations due to a deadly winter storm.

According to FlightAware, more than 2,800 flights within, to or from the United States were canceled on Sunday alone. But that’s only half of the cancellations U.S. flights suffered on Friday, with airline cancellations topping 5,700, according to Reuters.

Larry Yokom of St. Paul was at MSP Airport over Christmas, heading to Seattle to visit his 19-month-old granddaughter. His afternoon flight was delayed two hours.

“Two hours is nothing compared to being stuck at the airport overnight,” Yokom said.

Meanwhile, Thad Early and Catherine Lanman struggled to book a new flight to Phoenix on Sunday.

“We were supposed to fly out today and we changed our arrival time to our departure time and it was disruptive enough that we missed our flight,” said Early, who is due in Phoenix on Wednesday for a medical intervention.

They are also considering other options, such as taking the bus or the train.

“We’re going to keep hunting and searching and seeing what we can dig up,” Early said.

MSP spokesman Jeff Lea said he expects Monday to be one of the busiest days, if not the busiest, at MSP for the year-end holiday period.

He recommends travelers check their flight status before leaving for the airport; the same goes for people picking up their loved ones at the airport.

Travelers are recommended to arrive at MSP at least two hours prior to domestic flights and three hours prior to international travel.

Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube Playlist: