Houston travel: Dozens of flights canceled at Bush Airport, leaving behind angry passengers
HOUSTON - Dozens of United Airlines flights have been canceled or delayed, leaving hundreds of travelers passing through George Bush Intercontinental Airport stranded.
"We depended on them to get us there for a wedding," said Christina Lalonde.
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Lalonde was heading to Nassau for her sister's wedding Thursday morning, she says they boarded their flight, but were then asked to deboard because something was wrong with the plane. She says eight hours later, that flight was canceled.
"We're going to miss the wedding, there's not another flight. It is heartbreaking, and I don't know it just sucks," Lalonde said through tears.
United Airlines sent FOX26 the following statement:
"Several consecutive days of severe weather and lingering thunderstorms in the Northeast, combined with FAA staffing constraints over the weekend, have resulted in a tough operating environment, especially for our customers flying in and out of the New York area. We know our customers are eager to get to their destinations and our airport and call center teams are working overtime to assist them. As we focus on helping our customers whose travel has been disrupted over the last few days, we’re also planning ahead to be ready for the upcoming holiday weekend."
-United Airlines
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Alicia Stuart was flying from Norfolk, Virginia to Los Cabos with a layover at Bush Airport.
"The flight was delayed once, delayed twice, it was delayed three times, and then they finally just canceled the flight," she explained.
In an effort to save her vacation, she changed her flight to Cancun and booked a new resort. But like many others with canceled flights, she has no clue if she'll actually make it or if her baggage will be there when she lands.
"They made an announcement that they weren't going to go retrieve our bags, and then someone told me my bags would be rerouted to my new location," Stuart said.
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Then there's Kevin Stewart.
"This is the craziest I've ever seen it, people sleeping on the ground, people frantic trying to get to their families. There's a lot of angry people," Stewart said.
A family emergency had him flying from Bush Airport to Cincinnati, Ohio. However, after numerous delays and cancellations, he was forced to rent a car and drive 16 hours.
"It's actually a matter of life and death. This might be one of the last times I see one of my family members, so it's very important for me to be able to fly," he said.
He tells FOX 26 that finding a rental car was not an easy task.
"They were out of cars; I was actually one of the last people to get a car," he said.
As of right now, the customers we spoke to haven't been issued any vouchers or compensation.
As a reminder for customers whose travel has been disrupted, the United mobile app now automatically gives personalized re-booking options, bag tracking information, and meal and hotel vouchers when eligible if your flight is delayed or canceled, making it easier and less stressful to get back on your way.