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Posted on 12/22/2008 12:34:31 PM PST by sionnsar
SEATAC, Wash. - Only a quarter of all scheduled flights are getting out of Seattle Tacoma International Airport this morning and many would-be travelers are being turned away.
Shortly after 8 a.m., United Airlines announced at the airport that travelers who live in the area and who are trying to rebook should go home and rebook on the phone or online as no flights are being rebooked until after Christmas.
The best advice is to call before heading to the airport.
Alaska and Horizon are operating some flights today, but about 75 percent of all airlines' flights out of the airport are canceled. Flights to Alaska are getting out, with a handful of flights to Juneau and Anchorage leaving shorlty after 10 a.m.
All Hawaiian Air flights to Hawaii have been canceled for Monday.
"From an operations standpoint, we actually have our runways open, they are clear," airport spokesman Perry Cooper said. "The struggle now is getting some of those aircraft in here. It's just that system-wide set of dominoes that have fallen for the airlines and they're trying to get folks in and out of here as fast as they can."
The big problem, according to the airlines, has to do with the lack of de-icer. Alaska announced they may not have another shipment of deicer come in until today. The constant snowfall is another issue.
Alaska first cancelled 61 flights on Saturday, as a winter storm moved into the region. United Airlines canceled more than 110 flights Sunday morning. As a measure of that, impact, the rebooking line at United tripled in size in less than an hour Monday morning before the announcement was made for people to go home to rebook their flights.
Area hotels booked up over the weekend and at least 3,000 people have been spending nights at the airport as delays and cancelations mounted. Cooper says the airport has handed out 2,000 blankets and they've been working with the American Red Cross to bring in some cots as well.
"The Christmas spirit is kind of struggling, but people have been really patient out here. We've actually had some carolers who have wandered by," Cooper said.
On Sunday, an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 people were waiting for flights, including Brian Merman, a soldier stranded since Friday. He was trying to make it to Cincinnati.
"Trying to get home for Christmas," he said. "Hopefully I’ll get there."
Dozens of flights were cancelled at the Portland International Airport Saturday and Sunday, due to the latest storm.
Southwest Airlines cancelled 26 flights into Portland Saturday due to de-icing challenges.
A Southwest spokesperson said the main reason in Portland was that PDX is not equipped with enough de-icing machines to quickly take care of all the planes, so planes are sitting on the tarmac.
Because of that, they don’t have anywhere to put the planes that would be coming in, so they are canceling those flights.
They do plan to have as many planes take off from PDX as possible but there will be delays while they work to get them properly de-iced, officials said.
People opting to take the train aren't having any better luck, with Amtrak's Cascades trips being canceled for Monday.
Not only that, but the same storms have apparently stranded the Christmas presents for my wife and my son, which should have headed north to Alaska last week. Instead, according to the tracking number, the box has been sitting in Bellevue, Wash., since Dec. 16. My wife understands; my son, who is 10 years old, probably won’t. I’m annoyed beyond words.
Maybe we’ll have a Festivus miracle. LOL
The military ought to send some transports in there to get the active duty troops out, bus them over to McChord if possible - they deserve it
Okay....I’m a RARE Washingtonian - well Northwesterner...in Oregon again....and I cannot remember EVER a snowy December like this in all my 57 years....oh, maybe a few days in the 1950’s...but more than a week????
Word to the wise, don't set your procurement targets based on global warming expectations.
We have friend flying in on Saturday - praying for a melt long before then...
GW Ping
Oops.
I post over on some small boards located in Canada. They are OFF THE NET today!
AHHHHHHHH! I have to fly out tomorrow morning too!!!!
De-icer! De-icer!! My kingdom for some de-icer!!!!
Heard theat Portland has about 4” of ice. What a nightmare.
"Word to the wise, don't set your procurement targets based on global warming expectations."
Don't bet on it. Obama and reach across the aisle McCain will assure that government policy implements all manner of global warming idiocy policies even if we freeze to death - wind power, solar power, electric cars, carbon cap and trade schemes, and on and on and on. There are vast sums of money to be made in pushing the AGW myth and ruining the American economy.
Is someone holding a global warming conference in Seattle that hasn't been reported in the news?
Alaska Airlines cancelled my flight yesterday and told me to call their 800 number to re-book.
The line has been busy for two days.
I am displeased.
You may need to re-evaluate the meaning of "have to".
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