Hundreds of holiday travelers remain stranded at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport one day after a snow and ice storm forced the cancellation or delay of approximately 400 flights.
The Coley family were among the crowd waiting in the long lines to get through security at Terminal C. They flew in Thursday to visit family in Plano and were supposed to fly out Christmas night.
"And then we heard that the airline had canceled because of the snow," said Ruth Ann Coley, of Winston-Salem, N.C. "Then our son-in-law made another appointment for this morning, and that's been canceled."
At least the Coleys could stay with family during their delay in transit. According to DFW Airport, approximately 1,000 people had to sleep on cots and benches in the terminals Christmas night.
"It's very frustrating," Coley said. "We may not even get out of here today."
American Airlines announced Wednesday that it and its regional affiliates have canceled an additional 200 flights because of the continued need to de-ice planes.
"The de-icing issues yesterday at DFW were primarily related to equipment," American spokesman Matt Miller said in a statement. "And yes, we did have a handful of planes on the tarmac for an extended period because of the weather and icy conditions. It was obviously a very challenging day."
"We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience," Miller said in an earlier email to NBC 5.
NBC 5's Ray Villeda contributed to this report.
