Seated on a sidewalk with his back propped against a concrete pillar, Spirit Airlines passenger Rick Johnson of Indianapolis imbibed from a bottle of water and recounted his day after finishing a Caribbean cruise with his wife, son, and a family friend.
“I don’t know if we’re going to make a connecting flight to Indy,” he said early Monday afternoon outside Spirit’s Terminal 4 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
He said their return flight home had been booked for 7 in the morning as a nonstop to Indiana. But they were rerouted through Newark aboard a flight originally scheduled for 4 p.m., then for 6:05, and then 6:35 p.m.
“I’m just ready to go home,” Johnson said. “I’m ready to go home.”
Similar stories emerged from the airport’s four terminals Monday as the effects took hold from last week’s Federal Aviation Administration directive that all airlines should cut their daily flying to ease the pressure on overwhelmed air traffic controllers who are working without pay due to the U.S. Government shutdown. The agency ordered a 4% reduction in flights at 40 major airports including Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Orlando starting last Friday, The percentages are expected to rise to 6% by Tuesday, 8% by Thursday and a maximum of 10% by this coming Friday.
From the time the directive took hold, the weekend at the region’s three major international airports generated a spectrum of events ranging from scheduling inconveniences to major crushes of humanity at airport terminals.
By Monday morning, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, Miami International and Palm Beach International airports were again the scenes of multiple delays and cancellations.
Fort Lauderdale had 30 flight cancellations Monday “due directly to the FAA flight reduction order,” said spokesperson Arlene Satchell. The tracking service FlightAware listed 255 delays as of 4:30 p.m.
“MIA had 15 domestic departures canceled on Saturday, 16 on Sunday, and 10 today because of the emergency order,” spokesman Greg Chin said by email. FlightAware listed 258 delays Monday.
Palm Beach International had 97 delays and 16 cancellations, according to FlightAware. The West Palm Beach airport was not among those targeted for cutbacks, but is experiencing residual problems.
“Travelers are encouraged to remain in contact with their airline to confirm their flight status and receive the latest updates,” Chin said. “We appreciate the patience and understanding of our passengers while airlines nationwide comply with this federal directive.”
Nationally, the service reported more than 7,000 delays and more than 2,500 cancellations. Many disruptions, however, were attributable to bad weather in the northern parts of the U.S.
At the Fort Lauderdale airport’s Terminal 2 — where Delta Air Lines shares space with Canadian carriers Air Canada and WestJet — a massive line ran from the latter carrier’s ticket counter to an exit in the terminal’s southwest corner.
John Kotur, a Toronto resident who was returning with 15 companions including his girlfriend from a cruise that ended at Port Everglades, said they were actually aboard a WestJet plane Sunday evening when the flight was canceled. Kotur said two explanations circulated for the lost flight: first, the crew couldn’t leave because they had become “timed out” under federal regulations, and second, the weather was prohibitive.
“We had to book a hotel right away, but it was very expensive,” Kotur said.
The overnight delay meant he had to cancel a Monday appointment with his chiropractor. And since the airline was sticking to the weather-related reason for the canceled flight, Kotur had to foot the bill for the $250 hotel tab.
“They’re not taking responsibility for it at this point,” he said.
But his top priority was to head north as soon as possible. “I hope to get there today,” he said on Monday afternoon.
Tight quarters at Southwest terminal
About 5:30 p.m. Sunday, upon entering the “B” area of Terminal 1 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, it became readily apparent that most of the travelers who occupied every seat in the waiting areas had been waiting to leave for most of the day.
Whether they were once happy cruisers who had taken the short ride to the airport from Port Everglades, or business travelers headed out of town, few could be found whose flights with Southwest Airlines had not been delayed — or canceled. Some wandered about with drinks in their hands. Others anxiously checked phones and departure boards, or awaited their turns for facetime with a customer service agent.
One man from Oklahoma said he had been at the airport with his family since 10 a.m. after disembarking from a weeklong cruise at the seaport. He said he was trying to get home via Dallas-Fort Worth in Texas, but had missed out on every connecting flight available.
Pledges to help
Most air carriers including Spirit and Southwest — both among the largest tenants at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International — said they expected to operate most of their scheduled flights. They did, but with many behind schedule.
“We will work to minimize any impacts to our Guests,” Spirit said in a website message.
Industrywide, airlines for the most part reached out to their customers via text or email to communicate changes. They rebooked passengers whose flights were canceled, and offered full refunds if travelers decided to abandon their plans and not fly.
Not everyone who flew over the weekend faced disruptions.
A water polo team from Trinidad & Tobago that won three gold medals and two silvers at a Caribbean-wide tournament in Coral Springs was poised to fly to Port of Spain with Caribbean Airlines from Terminal 1. Their flight was listed as leaving on time — likely a function of most international flights not being affected by the FAA’s order.
Back at the Delta terminal, Dennis Maier of Davie and his wife, Ginny, said they flew from Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta’s cavernous Hartsfield International Airport and back after experiencing only a minor glitch. They took JetBlue Airways north after a Delta flight was delayed — rebooking their northbound trip via an app.
They returned on time Monday aboard Delta.
“Everybody was great,” Dennis Maier said. “Attitudes were good. No problem.”