Christmas Travel: Bad Weather and Airport Delays Affect Millions of Americans

Millions of Americans are bracing for difficult weather conditions during the Christmas holiday, with storms threatening to further disrupt one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

Up and down the east coast, the first storm of the winter blanketed cities from Boston to Baltimore with ice and snow.

California residents are cleaning up the aftermath of a storm that brought hurricane-forced winds, flooding and high surf on December 23, killing one man.

The weather events further complicate travel plans for Americas who are already facing air travel delays following a ground stop of American Airlines flights due to a technology issue.

Image source: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service

On the east coast, winter precipitation is expected to impact travel for many as heavy snow falls in areas such as Boston and New York, while Baltimore and Washington DC braced for precipitation and ice.

On the west coast, December 23 storm caused a pier to collapse and threw three people into the Pacific Ocean.

Waves from that storm reached 60ft and forced some evacuations. Flooding and high surf warnings remain in effect on Christmas Eve.

Weather is not the only thing impacting holiday travel on December 24, with technological issues adding further stress as millions of Americans hurry to their destinations.

On December 24, American Airlines flights were halted after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a “nationwide groundstop” due to a “vendor technology issue”.

The groundstop was lifted about an hour after it began and flights resumed, but not without creating a ripple of delays.