Hundreds of flights delayed, canceled at US San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco, Dec 27
Hundreds of flights at US San Francisco International Airport were delayed and canceled due to strong winds and the temporary closure of the departures lobby at Terminal 1.
According to aircraft tracking website FlightAware, 432 flights were delayed, most of them arrivals, and 26 flights were canceled on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration said arriving flights were experiencing average delays of one hour and 44 minutes because of weather conditions and high winds.
Separately, the departures lobby at Terminal 1 was closed for more than an hour on Friday morning due to what airport officials described as "police activity," and it reopened at around 10:45 a.m. local time.
Local media reported that Terminal 1 had been evacuated at around 8 a.m. local time after San Francisco police discovered a "suspicious package." No additional information was provided.
"There is still heavy roadway congestion, so give yourself extra time getting to the Airport and consider dropping off at the International Terminal and taking AirTrain," the airport said.
Departing passengers using Terminal 1 who do not have luggage to check can be dropped off at other terminals and use less congested security checkpoints, which can access all gates via walkways.
— IANS
Reader Comments
"Suspicious package" causing an evacuation? Sounds serious. Security should be the top priority, no doubt, but it's a nightmare for passengers. My cousin was flying from SFO to Bangalore yesterday and his whole itinerary is now a mess. Airlines need better contingency plans for such events.
While the weather delays are understandable, the terminal closure for police activity on top of that is a major operational failure. Airports in India, like Delhi's T3, handle similar passenger volumes more smoothly during crises. SFO authorities need to learn from global best practices.
Average delay of nearly 2 hours! That's brutal. Traveling during the holiday season is chaotic enough. Feel so bad for the families with kids and elderly passengers stuck there. The advice to use other terminals is good, but how many people will know this in the moment?
This is a good reminder for all of us traveling internationally. Always, always get travel insurance. A friend missed her connecting flight from SFO to Chennai last year due to similar issues and the rebooking costs were astronomical. Better safe than sorry!
High winds causing this much disruption? I've flown through Delhi in much worse weather and things kept moving, albeit slowly. Maybe US airports need to invest more in all-weather landing systems. The tech is there. Passenger convenience should be paramount.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.