UPDATE 2:40pm
Extreme weather has caused major delays and cancellations at airports all over the province, and at YLW in Kelowna, they’re working hard to get things back to normal.
“There has been significant challenges on Monday and Tuesday coming out of Vancouver for sure,” said airport operations manager James Hall. “We had about 117 cancellations between Sunday and today.”
“But today’s operations are pretty smooth, things continue to evolve in Vancouver, and as they increase capacity things are returning to more of a normal state. We already have had seven departures and five arrivals.”
Many delays in Kelowna are directly related to massive issues at major feeder airports like Vancouver.
Unfortunately, for some people trying to get out of Kelowna, the only option is to stay put and wait it out.
“I’ve been here at the airport since yesterday morning,” said a delayed passenger on Wednesday, who said he slept at the airport. “Today, I was able to rebook for Christmas Day, so I’m presuming that that will be when I actually do leave. I don’t see any way around it.”
While some travelers are hunkering down and waiting out the bad weather, others are cooking up a Christmas miracle, doing anything they can in order to get home in time for the holidays.
One traveler says he’s planning on driving to Spokane to catch a flight rather than connecting through Vancouver.
“There’s a group of 12 of us and we’re all rerouted on different flights,” said another traveler. “Some of them have decided to rent vans to drive to Calgary to try and get a flight out of there. We’re all split up and just hoping to get home for the holidays.”
YLW is expecting Friday to be their busiest day of the year, but they’re hoping to have things fully back on track by Christmas.
The Kelowna airport is encouraging travelers to check their website for the latest up to date flight information before heading to their airport for departure.
ORIGINAL 9:25 am
Passengers traveling through Kelowna’s airport today can expect a busy terminal building and long lineups after more than 100 flights were canceled since Sunday due to weather and problems at feeder airports.
YLW is anticipating an increase in departing passengers today of over 60 per cent, jumping from a typical day of 5,000 to over 8,000 people.
The airport is asking passengers to check with their airline for the most up to date information before heading to the airport for their flight.
To help speed up the travel process, passengers are encouraged to complete as much as they can online before arriving at the airport, including check-in, fee payments, and retrieving their boarding pass.
Delays and cancellations are continuing with eight cancellations and 20 more delays as of 8:00 am Wednesday, but five additional flights have been added to help customers get to their destinations.
The airport says there has been a total of 117 cancellations since Sunday.
Passengers connecting through Vancouver will also likely face delays at YVR as well.
In a statement to media Wednesday morning, YVR said a “significant” number of aircraft remain at the airport creating congestion on the airfield.
The airport is restricting arrival international flights for approximately 48 hours, effective at 7:00 am, to help crews clear the backlog.
“We continue to ensure our runways and taxiways remain clear and are facilitating some arrivals and departures thanks to improving conditions, however flight delays and cancellations should be expected,” YVR said.
“YVR staff and our partners continue to work to assist travelers in the terminal who are unable to depart, or who are waiting for luggage.”
