Atlanta airport cancellations, delays | Winter weather impacting Hartsfield-Jackson

ATLANTA – Officials at the Atlanta airport are trying to resume operations after a winter storm brought things to a halt on Tuesday.

As of Wednesday morning, 60 flights from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and 112 flights to the airport had been canceled. Dozens more were facing delays.

Travelers should double-check the status of their flight before heading to the airport. Once there, security lines should be quick – which will be very different from what happened the day before. 

What we know:

Thousands of travelers faced extremely long TSA security checkpoint lines, delays and cancelations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Tuesday.

Airport officials said there were a myriad of reasons why the slowdown took place: The National Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day activities, and, of course, the winter weather threat.

“We made plans. We have been monitoring the weather, been monitoring the game, we’ve been monitoring all events. Keep in mind … we have the MLK holiday, so a lot of people come to Atlanta, obviously, to participate in that, to observe that. So, it was a very, very busy time,”  Airport Communications Manager Andy Gobeil said.

Airport officials said airlines added additional flights to accommodate the college football crowd.

FOX 5 Atlanta found different reactions, kind of like the game, from both sides.

What they’re saying:

“We would wait in line for 24 hours if we could experience last night again, so we’re not too upset,” Carson Knabe said with a smile. 

“We probably will miss our flight. But, we are just gonna go with it. You live, and you learn,” Alyssa Eshelman, a Notre Dame fan, lamented. 

Airport officials handed out bottled water, and kept everyone updated and had all the gates open.

Once the snow started falling in the afternoon, airlines delayed, or canceled, even more flights.

Just before 7 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration reported a ground stop for all Delta Air Lines flights at the Atlanta airport due to snow and ice.

The ground stop lasted until just before 10 p.m.

By that time, 763 flights (over 500 from Delta) were delayed. There were 306 flights (125 from Delta) canceled.

On Wednesday morning, travelers arriving to the airport found that the icy roads had made conditions hard for them to take the next steps of their journey.

Tameka Bolden told FOX 5’s Kaitlyn Pratt that she had arrived that morning on a flight from Dubai, but wasn’t able to get out of the airport.

“My car is at the dealership, so we weren’t able to drive to go and get it,” she said. “Couldn’t get an Uber, couldn’t get anything, so I’m home, but I’m stuck.” 

The other side:

“When we get a higher than expected volume of passengers who are coming through at the same time, there will be delays. We try to make sure they are comfortable,” Gobeil said.

FOX 5 Atlanta reached out to Delta Air Lines for comment on the ground delay:

The airline says the ground delay program for incoming flights is to “meter in-bound traffic so as to not overcrowd the airfield and create taxi-in delays.”

“Things are moving, and deicing is occurring,” the spokesperson continued. “As the FAA site indicates, it’s set to expire at 10:59 p.m. local, but could end early.”

Dig deeper:

In anticipation of snow, the airport’s maintenance team pre-treated the runway with deicier. Multiple crews are working around the clock to keep the airfield operational.

Meanwhile, a winter storm warning has been issued for the following counties: Spalding County, Carroll County, Butts County, Heard County, Newton County, Forsyth County, Morgan County, Fayette County, Oconee County, North Fulton County, Walton County, Putnam County, Clayton County, Hall County, Henry County, Rockdale County, South Fulton County, Barrow County, Troup County, Greene County, Meriwether County, Lamar County, Cobb County, Gwinnett County, Douglas County, Pike County, Jasper County, DeKalb County, Upson County, Clarke County, Coweta County, Jackson County.

The warning expires at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

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