Winter storm causes hundreds of flight cancellations at Charlotte Douglas

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hundreds of flights at Charlotte Douglas International Airport had to be delayed or cancelled Tuesday night because of the winter storm that blanketed much of the Charlotte area. Airport officials told Channel 9 they've been working hard to clear that snow and ice since Tuesday afternoon.

Crews were busy Wednesday morning de-icing planes and clearing runways. As of 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, they had de-iced more than 110 planes. The effort also extended to the roads, as plows were clearing the roads around the airport -- another concern for travelers.
 
Channel 9 spoke with passengers Wednesday morning, including one who spent the night at the airport because of concerns about getting there.

There were 130 flights canceled Tuesday at the airport due to the winter storm.
 
People were trying to get to cities like Atlanta, Baltimore, Miami and Houston, but they received the bad news when many of them landed in Charlotte Tuesday.
 
Channel 9 spoke with two passengers hoping to get to Atlanta and New Orleans after they found out they'll be stranded in Charlotte for the night.

"When it snows in Atlanta they shut everything down so I'm not going nowhere," Tayona Black said.
 
Kirsty Bell said, "They've rebooked me tomorrow morning, so I guess until then, hopefully (my flight) leaves."
 
Several hotels in the area were booked solid by stranded passengers Tuesday night.

WSOC