Holiday travel impacted by winter weather
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Travelers at Milwaukee's Intermodal Station found themselves rearranging their travel plans to ensure they got to their holiday destination.
"I was supposed to leave Friday, but I left today because of how the weather is going to be. So, it was nice to leave today," Illinois resident Michael Kelly said.
"I'm going to Chicago, I'm going to go see my sister," Milwaukee resident Rick Zepeda said. "I was all scheduled to go tomorrow and all the trains were cancelled, so I had to switch my trains to today. It's an extra day, but I get to spend an extra day with family and everything, so I'm pleased with it."
Zepeda was leaving town on an Amtrak train that left Milwaukee at 11 a.m. on Thursday. He said the company contacted passengers to let them know they would be canceling some trips because of the high winds set to hit the Midwest.
Another traveler named Matt said he decided to take the bus from Chicago to Milwaukee because it left earlier than the Amtrack's scheduled for the day.
"I was going to come in on Friday, but I wanted to avoid the whole storm and all that stuff. I didn't want to be in the airport for 12 hours," he said.
Though he moved up his trip to avert the weather, he tells CBS 58 he still found himself stuck in the Pheonix airport waiting for his delayed flight to Illinois.
Thursday had a smooth start at Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport, with few flight delays and cancellations.
“So far so good. Other than the fear of snow and not being able to get off - our flight taking off, we're doing okay,” said traveler Terese Daniels, heading to Florida with her family.
As conditions worsened throughout the night, passengers were checking flight lists with fingers crossed.
“I got delayed, had to move my connection. Hopefully we'll make it, said Wisconsin resident, Courtney Reif, who’s flying to California.
Many travelers who had early delays said they were quickly contacted by their airline, which was helpful for planning.
Mitchell International Airport has 20 pieces of equipment prepared for snow clearing. The entire team focuses on one runway at a time, with the process taking about 20 minutes.
“They’re staged right now, strategically staged out on the airfield, so that if the snow starts falling heavier or sticking, they’ll be able to get out there at a moment’s notice,” said Stephanie Staudinger with the airport.
Flight delays started to pick up after 1 p.m, especially for flights arriving to Milwaukee.
A Delta flight from Atlanta was delayed around 3:00 p.m. when it had to stop in Detroit for fuel.
One family arrived at the airport in full Christmas costumes to welcome their son home but were disappointed by the last-minute delay.
“We had hoped to embarrass him with all the bling like we usually do. So hopefully he's going to get in tonight,” said Jean Coben. “We just have to be playful that they're going to get home sometime and stay safe.”
Amtrack canceled a few trips from Milwaukee to Chicago due to the inclement weather. Travelers are encouraged to check the status of their train or bus ahead of time in case of delays or cancellations.