TAMPA, Fla. — Almost 200 flights were canceled at Tampa International Airport, leaving thousands of travelers stranded Sunday as a massive winter storm continued to disrupt air travel across the country.
The storm's widespread impact forced many passengers to make difficult decisions about how to get home, with some choosing to drive hundreds of miles rather than wait for rescheduled flights.
Bill and Lynda McKinnis found themselves with few options after their flight was canceled.
"They've got me booked for tomorrow, which I need to get back today, so we booked a car and planned to drive back to North Carolina today," McKinnis said.
The couple decided to take matters into their own hands rather than wait for the airline to accommodate them.
Other travelers don't have the luxury of driving home. Angela and Dwayne Stokes are trying to return to Columbus, Ohio, but face limited rebooking options.
"They offered us one for Wednesday, and that would be a straight flight, but we have a chance of going out tomorrow early in the morning and then going through Chicago," Angela Stokes said.
The Garza family faces similar challenges getting back to Dallas. Ted Garza understands the scope of the disruptions affecting travelers nationwide.
"We understand that is bad. We understand that about a third of the flights have been canceled or delayed," Garza said.
The family's situation highlights the storm's prolonged impact. After attempting to leave on Saturday ahead of the weather, their flight was canceled, leaving them stranded until Tuesday.
The delays at Tampa International mirror disruptions at airports nearly 1,000 miles away, demonstrating the massive scale of this winter storm's impact on air travel across the United States.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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