BOSTON – It was the perfect storm at Logan Airport – holiday travel traffic and icy runways led to long lines and plenty of delays.
Big delays at Logan Airport
Snow and ice caused more than 500 flight delays at Logan Airport on Friday before the busy holiday travel weekend. That struggle continued on Saturday morning, with an additional 70 delays and 85 cancellations.
Saturday morning saw strong, slow-moving traffic outside of the airport and long lines inside at bag drop and security checkpoints.
Passengers said they left early in anticipation of heavy foot traffic.
According to the National Weather Service, Logan Airport received more than 5″ of snow.
Holiday travelers delayed in 12 states
Massachusetts was one of 12 states hit by Friday’s snow. The impact of that snow is being felt across the country with more than 4,300 flights delayed nationwide.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) anticipates that 119 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles for the holidays this year. That makes this the busiest holiday travel season on record, topping 2019.
AAA estimated that the weekends before and after Christmas could be some of the busiest of the year, both on the roadways and in the airports.
TSA expects to screen about 40 million passengers nationwide between this weekend and January 2.
Ninety percent of Americans traveling this holiday season will do so in the car. Gas prices have not changed too much over the last year, dropping three cents to $3.08 per gallon.
