Airlines Work to Recover as Christmas Eve Travelers Navigate Aftermath of Mass Cancellations

Airlines spent Christmas Eve trying to recover from a Friday of widespread flight cancellations and even more delays, working to get holiday travelers to their destinations. At Norfolk International Airport, the mood on Saturday was noticeably brighter than the day before.

According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, nearly 6,000 flights were canceled across the United States on Friday. By Saturday afternoon, that figure had dropped to a little over 2,000.

Crews visiting Norfolk International on Saturday found plenty of travelers still passing through, but with a much lighter atmosphere than the chaos that accompanied Friday's weather. Some passengers were dressed in festive clothing, and smiles were more common. Flight boards at the airport showed only a handful of cancellations.

Airport workers said the early hours of Christmas Eve looked different. Olivia Fisher, who works at the airport's Starbucks, said many people had camped out on the floor and chairs that morning. "It was pretty crazy," she said. When asked whether conditions had improved since then, she answered, "Oh absolutely." Fisher and coworker Donna Trace had arrived for work around 4 a.m. Saturday.

Most travelers interviewed said they had always planned to fly out on Christmas Eve or to host relatives in town for the holiday. Kendall Faulkner, who was heading to Providence after visiting family, said her flight was on schedule. "Everyone got together, had meals, we did Secret Santa, it was nice," she said.

Disruptions that did affect travelers were generally minor. Emi Gibson said her grandfather had been delayed in Las Vegas. Harold Rookes, a Virginia Beach resident, was awaiting the arrival of his children and grandchildren, who were leaving Michigan's single-digit temperatures for the 20s in Virginia Beach. Their flight was scheduled to depart at 8:30 but left at about 9:14, though it was still expected to arrive on time. Rookes suspected that de-icing planes in Detroit caused the late departure. Minutes after the interview, the family had a reunion at the airport.

His guess may have merit. Delta, the airline with the most flights out of Norfolk, said in a release that frozen equipment was one of the challenges it faced in getting operations back on track on Saturday. The airline said it expected operations to improve through the weekend.