Gateway Travel Management

January 3, 2002 - Storm Causes Delays

Yesterday, approximately 250 flights were cancelled at one of the country's busiest airports as snow storms swept across the Southern United States, making traveling of all kinds extremely difficult. The storm chaos, which stretches from Mississippi to Virginia, caused major disruption at Hartsfield Atlanta Airport and snow was reported to still be falling across the region early today.

Delta Air Lines is advising travelers to check the flight situation before they leave for its main hub at Atlanta. The airline cancelled hundreds of flights through Wednesday. Weather forecasters have issued storm warnings today, stretching from the Alabama-Georgia line to south-east Virginia.

Snowfalls of up to 4 to 6 inches were predicted for central South Carolina. It was even worse for Raleigh, North Carolina, where 8 to 12 inches of snow is expected.

Reports from CNN say air passengers at Atlanta complained of being trapped for hours on board grounded aircraft. The planes could not taxi to the terminal because all gates were full. Those who were eventually allowed off the jets had to walk to the terminal. Long lines formed inside the airport as passengers tried to reach ticketing and reservation desks and food outlets.

As any flight delays could potentially disrupt an entire airlines system, please verify that you flights are on time at least 2 hours prior to leaving for the airport and traveling to any destination.