12/26/2012
Lorena Inclan
actionnewsjax.com

Post Christmas Day travelers braced for a long day at the airport today thanks to a powerful winter storm that has left many airlines trying to catch up with the backlog of delayed flights.

"It's frustrating," said traveler Brittany Talarico.

That's pretty much the same sentiment most travelers at Jacksonville International Airport shared today as flight after flight got delayed and at least one was canceled.

Talarico was on her way to Ohio when she got a call from the airline saying her connecting flight from Charlotte to Akron had been canceled.

"That whole snow belt area is an atrocity right now," said Talarico.

Talarico was hoping to celebrate Christmas today with her sisters in Ohio. She even had a suitcase full of presents in tow.

"My presents for everyone are going to get to Ohio before I am so that kind of stinks a little bit," said Talarico.

Other airports like Newark in New Jersey and JFK and La Guardia in New York had some of the flights experiencing major delays out of JIA.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration website, flights to Philadelphia from Jacksonville were delayed for almost four hours.

"Obviously safety is the primary concern for the airline and the pilots operating these planes so they will take all of those things into consideration for takeoffs and landings," said Michael Stewart, Director of External Affairs for Jacksonville Aviation Authority.

Like hundreds of other passengers, Talarico will try again tomorrow.

"It's OK, I'll at least get to see everyone, it stinks but that's alright," said Talarico.

According to the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, air traffic controllers will put more space in between flights that are landing and taking off because the snow and rain can make the runways very dangerous.

Source: http://bit.ly/12RalyG