Travel

Floridians head home after record-breaking holiday travel numbers

This year, passengers had to deal with record-breaking travel numbers and Mother Nature as well.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Millions of Floridians took a trip for the Independence Day holiday weekend, and on Sunday many of them came back home to start the week. 

With Beryl causing issues at some southern airports, First Coast News is on your side asking passengers how their travel has been impacted.

RELATED: Talkin’ Tropics: Beryl strengthening before landfall in Texas

More than 5 million people took a flight for the Fourth of July weekend, according to AAA. That’s an increase of nearly 7% compared to last year.

“I came from Chattanooga, it was a really nice flight, wasn’t too busy but getting off the plane was a little rough,” said Alexis Tiecamp, who flew to Jacksonville International Airport for a cruise.

This year, passengers had to deal with record-breaking travel numbers and Mother Nature as well. 

Thunderstorms from incoming Beryl caused a ground stop at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on Saturday, according to a message from airport officials. On Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration warned of gate holds at the airport of up to an hour.

“We expected a lot more traffic, especially with the hurricane we were seeing a lot of issues like delays were expected,” said Chris Garris and Mark Fowler.

At JAX, by 1:30 p.m., there were 16 total delays, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware

However, the airport travel board said most arrivals were either on time or arriving early, and some passengers say the flights were still pleasant even with the busy weekend.

“It was really packed but the stewardess was so fun to be with and they loved my dog so they gave space for her,” said Kimberly Carter, who had a layover at JAX.

JAX officials remind passengers to check with their airline for any cancellations or delays.


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