TAMPA, Fla. — Travelers moving through Tampa International Airport today are still dealing with the aftermath of the holiday rush, with many passengers facing flight delays and cancellations on their journey home after Christmas.
Post-Christmas travel kept TPA busy, but for some families, the wait was worth it.
WATCH: Post-Christmas travel brings delays to Tampa International Airport as families reunite
Stephanie Poltak spent nearly three hours at TPA waiting for her daughter, Sarah Cook, to arrive from New Hampshire.
"We're just so excited because we haven't seen her in months and months and months," Poltak said.
Poltak adopted Cook when she was nine, and this was their first reunion since July. After some delays and a lot of anticipation, Cook finally walked through the terminal.
"It's like being a kid again, cause they basically raised me, so now I get to come down to Florida as an adult and today is 'Christmas Day.' I got the best present. Reuniting is really nice," Cook said.
Cook said busy skies caused the delays.
"There were some issues with the flight and the air control. There was too much congestion is what they said. So they had to keep us on the plane for a while," Cook said.
But not every traveler faced trouble.
"Smooth sailing for sure," said Donovan Pierce, who was flying home to Virginia.
For others, there were a few speed bumps.
"They said it was going to be a 2-hour delay," said Karthika Siva, who was traveling home to St. Louis, Missouri.
Out of more than 630 flights, Tampa International reports at least 30 canceled and over 200 delayed.
But many said they expected the rush.
"I'm very grateful because it's only a 2-hour delay, and like all the airport personnel and stuff, they're working overtime really hard to get us through it," Siva said.
AAA said a record 122 million Americans are expected to travel through January 1, with more than 8 million flying.
The holiday season isn't over, so experts said if you're flying, be sure to arrive early, pack smart and check your flight status.
Florida contractor protection law may hurt customers, lawmaker wants changes following investigation
When Angie Moore hired a company to replace her water softener at her Pasco County home, she expected the job to get done. Instead, she said she was left with brown water flowing through her taps and thousands of dollars out of pocket.
