NORFOLK, VA — Thursday night and Friday, millions of travelers are going to wait to board their planes and embrace their loved ones but what might keep them grounded are cancelations and delays.
It's just a few days until Christmas and while millions are waiting for Santa many others are waiting to take off.
On Thursday passengers say they got to Norfolk International Airport just a hair earlier.
"Our flight doesn’t leave until 2:30 so we got here about 2.5 hours early," explains one family.
Upstairs some travelers made camp on cushions while others settled in for a short winter's nap. Mack Williamson who's traveling to New York says he's in a positive state of mind and has a plan in case his plans north go south.
"I'm flying into JFK and then getting on another flight to Rochester. So worst case scenario, it's drivable. It's going to be like six hours from upstate to go up to Rochester but it's not terrible so I'm planning on just figuring that out as it comes so maybe a rental if flights get canceled but so far, I'm hoping the weather is going to hold out," Williamson said.
For other families like the Baileys, the waiting game isn’t just for boarding it's for embracing loved ones flying into Virginia. Charles Bailey says he's got a word or two for how he's seen others in the airport including his own kin
"Everyone is massively stressed because if you think about it everybody is thinking about trying to get there in time for Christmas. My sister who is standing right over there was extremely concerned that one of her sons wasn't going to make his connection because just up until 24 hours ago we were worried about Baltimore before socked in with ice and fortunately we made the connection, so it is stressful," says Bailey.
Bailey says he's offering a simple phase for travelers from one to 92.
"Be patient be kind it's all going to work out," he said.
On Wednesday, Norfolk International Airport tweeted that certain airlines are offering winter weather waives in case flights are changed. information can be found on the airline's mobile application or website.
