The holiday weekend travel rush continued as a brutal winter storm bashed most of the country, while San Diego enjoyed warmer than usual temperatures and sunny skies.
San Diego International Airport remained the crossroads for travelers coming and going on domestic and international flights.
Travelers in both airport terminals scoured the flight status boards with worry and disappointment at all the delays and cancellations because of poor weather elsewhere.
“The flight was supposed to be at 8 o’clock, but now the board shows 11:30,” said John Schroeder of North County.
He and his wife were trying to get to Terre Haute, Indiana, with a connecting flight in Atlanta — one delay put them in danger of missing.
“We have a couple of hours layover there. Hopefully, the flight's on time because that’s a potential problem,” Schroeder said.
Hanging over all of this are the cranes of construction, which forced the Terminal 1 parking lot and pedestrian bridge to close permanently.
The San Diego Airport Authority has issued advisories to maneuver traffic congestion and construction obstacles, telling travelers to arrive two hours before flight departures for domestic and international flights.
Passengers are strongly recommended not to park on-site. If it is necessary, reserve parking at Terminal 2 Parking Plaza or Curbside Valet as much in advance as possible at san.org/parking.
The Terminal Loop Shuttle transports passengers between both terminals. Curbside pickup is available every 10 minutes.
While the Schroeders were waiting to fly out of town, John Collins and his wife made it in. They arrived Friday morning for a weeklong Christmas vacation in San Diego, escaping Chicago's big chill.
“It was a negative 30 degrees wind chill and negative 8 degrees as we were heading out of Chicago O’Hare Airport. It was pretty brutal, but we are happy to put the coats away, now,” Collins said.
