Despite East Coast weather, most flights leave Mitchell Intl. Airport on time

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A winter storm is snarling travel across the East Coast the day before Thanksgiving. It's causing trouble on the nation's roadways and delays of up to six hours at airports in the Northeast on one of the busiest travel days of the year. About 30 million people from the mountains of North Carolina to Maine could be affected by the holiday storm. The silver lining for Thursday morning fliers? By Thanksgiving, the storm will be exiting, and conditions should return to normal.

A Mitchell International Airport spokesperson says some 17,000 travelers were making their way through the airport on the day before Thanksgiving.

The Koonce family was trying to get to New York City on Wednesday, November 26th -- and the storm snarling travel meant they'd be dealing with a day of delays.

"Our flight (Wednesday) morning was cancelled. We got re-booked on an afternoon flight. Getting here -- and then getting delayed two hours on top of the whole cancellation," Karen Koonce said.

"I was mad," Hayden Koonce said.

"I wanted to go back home," Colin Koonce said.

"It's Mother Nature. So we'll just stick it out -- play some games and if we go home, you know, we don't make it," Karen Koonce said.

Airport spokesman Harold Mester says situations like what was happening to the Koonce family Wednesday were few and far between.

"We've seen a few isolated delays and cancellations, but for the most part, on balance. The flights are leaving on time (Wednesday)," Mester said.

As for arrivals, Mester suggests anyone looking to pick up passengers from the airport take construction at the airport into consideration.

"Skip the baggage claim. Park in the hourly section of the parking garage. It's free for an hour. You can walk right across the skywalk, meet your arriving passenger and not deal with any of that," Mester said.

Mester says travelers who are scheduled to arrive at airports affected by weather out east should be aware -- for flights departing Wednesday, the airlines are offering to change tickets at no charge.

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