ATLANTA — Airlines nationwide worked to recover Monday following a busy weekend of cancellations and delays. Many passengers coming in and out of Atlanta were left stranded as a water main break also forced many restaurants and restrooms to be shut down.
"Getting here was a little chaotic. You can just see a lot of people standing around waiting, hoping to get on their flight," said one traveler, Allison Lara.
Tessa Thomas, who flew into Atlanta from Texas, echoed similar sentiments.
“It’s awful to see people just waiting around in an airport for a flight," she said.
While both Lara and Thomas were able to avoid a delay or cancellation on Monday, they said it was evident they were among the lucky few upon arrival in Atlanta.
“It was a lot more people than I anticipated," Lara said.
TSA reported that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, New York's JFK and Chicago O'Hare had the most cancellations and delays on Sunday ahead of Father's Day and the Juneteenth holiday. Atlanta reported that more than 100 flights were cancelled and 400 others were delayed on Sunday.
Airlines gave a variety of reasons for the disruptions, including weather. Delta admitted that staffing shortages and air traffic control issues were playing a part. The Atlanta-based airline also recently announced that they would be cutting around 100 flights starting in July through early August.
Many travelers are now working to get a voucher for their delayed or canceled flight and it varies by airline - most offer either a rerouting, reimbursement, or rebooking option whenever a flight delay occurs. Many, like Delta, will provide an airline credit.
On top of flight issues, a water main break at Hartsfield-Jackson on Sunday forced all of the restaurants and many of the restrooms to be shut down on Concourse B. Monday afternoon, officials said that the majority of the concessions and bathrooms had been re-opened, but they were still working to repair the leak.