Flight cancellations at Miami airport leave passengers stranded with no hotels, cars

Thousands of stranded passengers filled Miami International Airport terminals on Monday, hoping to book new flights after dozens were canceled the night before because of stormy weather.

The mass cancellations led to scores of furious fliers having no access to hotel rooms or rental cars, with some flights unavailable for days, passengers said.

They noted that social distancing at the airport was “impossible.” Video showed masked passengers waiting in endless lines as other people tried to maneuver through the terminal with push carts full of luggage.

“Stuck in the Miami Airport & all flights are canceled in the whole state,” Lauren Chamblin posted on Twitter. “All flights, buses, rental cars, etc are booked until Wednesday to get back to Atlanta. Been waiting in the line to re-book for 3 hours in a line with 2K+ others.”

Echoed another passenger, Stephen Daniel: “Delta delayed our flight several times until they finally canceled and have no flights until Wednesday.”

Miami airport spokesman Gregory Chin confirmed that 142 flights were canceled and 70 were delayed Sunday because of severe thunderstorms in Central and South Florida. He said it’s estimated that about 10,000 passengers traveling to and from MIA were affected by the delays and cancellations. The airlines affected include American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest and United.

On Monday, 10 arrivals and 3 departures had been canceled by 8:30 a.m. Chin said passengers should check with their airlines before coming to the airport because more cancellations or delays might be possible.

People were waiting in long lines Monday morning to get through TSA. The lines near the American Airlines counters stretched down the concourse. Some travelers were sleeping or sitting on the floor, waiting for their flights.

Chin said Monday’s affected flights are due to airlines trying to catch up.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Broward County also reported some delayed arrivals and departures on Sunday afternoon.

On Monday, the airport said there had been 150 flight delays and 39 cancellations due to weather-related disruptions.

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Delta and Southwest Airlines told the Miami Herald that flights won’t be back up and running at MIA until at least later Monday or Tuesday. Both airlines noted there still may not be any available flights in the upcoming days.

“My wife and I have to take off work since we have to drive 10+ hours from #Miami to #NC because no flights can be guaranteed until Wednesday!” one passenger wrote.

Southwest spokeswoman Alyssa Foster told the Miami Herald that the airline is “not accommodating hotels or car rentals, but is working on getting passengers back on the first available flight.”

Delta spokeswoman Crystal Drake said she was still unclear on whether the airline would be helping with accommodations. American Airlines declined to comment on its accommodation plan but said they are “working to have them on their way as soon as possible.”

“Calling in an SOS to help at Miami International Airport,” posted passenger Todd Gibbs on Twitter. “Flights diverted and canceled due to inclement weather. Unacceptable customer service helping people understand where their bags are. Some travelers at baggage claim for 10+ hours. No communication from AA.”

Other passengers tried to find some humor in the situation.

“Every flight out of Miami right now is delayed or canceled and therefore everyone in the airport is stress eating McDonald’s,” wrote Dan Koday on Twitter.

Every flight out of Miami right now is delayed or canceled and therefore everyone in the airport is stress eating McDonald’s

— Dan Koday (@dankoday) April 11, 2021

On Sunday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Miami-Dade, Broward, Collier and Mainland Monroe counties. Storms were expected through Monday morning. By late afternoon most of the weather advisories had expired.

Miami Herald visual journalist Carl Juste and Miami Herald staff writer Carli Teproff contributed to this report.