SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – People going through San Francisco International Airport were briefly impacted by a nationwide ground stop for American Airlines Tuesday morning due to a technical problem affecting its dispatching and flight planning systems.
That, plus the storms impacting the greater San Francisco Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest, have added some complications for the Christmas Eve getaway.
“Just go with the flow.,” a traveler named Chris told KCBS Radio as he waited for his flight to Dallas. “It’s a little slower, but still busy.”
For some passengers, they weren’t exactly sure how American Airlines’ issues were going to impact their travel plans.
“Well, I’m accompanying my child who just had surgery about a week ago,” another traveler, Nancy, explained as she waited for her flight to Madison, Wisconsin. “So we’re playing by ear the whole day.”
“I checked everything,” said Terrell Jones, who is heading to Jackson, Mississippi. “I have a connection flight in Dallas – it’s raining there. But, they sent me an email update saying everything is leaving on time.”
The brief grounding of American’s flights complicated what was already going to be a busy day at the airport for travelers. And many at the airport prepared for any potential issues that could come up.
“We had to wake up a little bit earlier. Usually we don’t put too much time between when we leave the house and get here, but we knew it was going to be a little busy,” a passenger, Marcelo, stated before his flight to Hawaii.
Despite the hiccups and delays, some like Jones – who works as a tree worker in Marin County and is traveling to surprise his mom in Jackson – found some peace among the issues.
“With the work that I do, I’ve been averaging like 80 hours the past two weeks because of the storms. It’s nice to have a day off. This is nothing.”