The FAA says fog delays travelers at San Diego Airport by nearly five hours

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV/CNS) – One of the busiest travel days of the year got off to a foggy start Friday at San Diego International Airport.

Heavy fog forced the Federal Aviation Association to ground Friday morning, and flights were delayed an average of nearly five hours.

As of 9 a.m. Friday, there were nearly 160 delayed flights – arriving and departing – at the airport and 21 cancellations, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. It was not known how many of these were directly related to the thick fog.

You can check the status of flight arrivals and departures on the airport’s website here.

The fog eventually cleared, but the damage had already been done, leaving travelers like Mary Alvarado, who was headed to Pittsburgh, frustrated.

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“We were originally booked on American Airlines, but when we woke up this morning it was like your flight was canceled,” Alvarado said. “They want to send us to Florida, spend the night there and then take another connecting flight before we get to Pittsburgh.”

Alvarado also said she was skeptical about checking her luggage because she didn’t want to experience any further inconvenience.

Ryan Armstrong, who travels to Atlanta on Friday, shared Alvarado’s frustration.

“We were supposed to leave at 6:15,” Armstrong said. “They rescheduled the flight for 12 p.m., and then we leave Atlanta at 9 a.m. and don’t get back to our hometown until midnight.”

Travelers like Ariel Torres, who was heading to Tampa, said this was the first time she had traveled in four years because she was on military duty and she was caught by surprise on Friday.

“I drove. “I actually kept getting notifications like, ‘Hey, your flight is delayed,’ and honestly, it’s very frustrating,” Torres said. “Tensions are already high by nature, so I am already on alert. I was like, ‘Okay, let’s go.'”

Airport officials said SAN expects to see about 80,000 travelers come through daily during the holiday season.

In addition to the hour-by-hour delays, the thousands of travelers have to watch out for the possible government shutdown, which could have an even greater impact on travel plans.

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – Just as the leisure travel season began, dense fog caused numerous flight delays at San Diego International Airport on Friday.

“Travel Alert: If you are coming to SAN this morning, please note that there will be some flight delays due to fog,” airport officials posted on social media shortly after 8 a.m. “Check with your airline before flying to the airport.” “

As of 9 a.m. Friday, there were nearly 160 delayed flights – arriving and departing – at the airport and 21 cancellations, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. It was not known how many of these were directly related to the thick fog.

Check flight arrivals/departures: https://www.san.org/Flights/Flight-Status

The holiday travel season officially begins on Saturday. Nearly 10 million Southern California residents are expected to drive 50 miles or more from home between Saturday and Jan. 1, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California, the Southern California affiliate of the American Automobile Association.

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