Travelers hoping to get home before Christmas may be risking delays or cancellations starting Thursday.
That’s because people in more than a dozen states are bracing to get smacked by a frigid winter storm that is sure to impact travel.
Some airlines even tried to get passengers to hop on flights Wednesday night to scoot the storm.
“We’re going to Toronto visiting our family for the holidays,” said Shamile Khan, who is just one of 7 million-plus who will fly -- numbers that are just shy of pre-pandemic levels according to AAA.
But this year, it’s coupled with what climate experts are calling one of the worst pre-Christmas storms in decades.
“What we found out is that we’re staying overnight in Denver and it’s going to be 40-year low temperature in Denver tonight,” said Khan.
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From there, the dangerous temperatures with snow, freezing rain, and biting wind expected will wallop the midwest, eventually moving east.
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The worst of it is expected Thursday and Friday. It’ll create treacherous conditions that’ll have a ripple effect for travel.
“Everyone's stressed pilots are stressed, crews stressed, passengers are stressed,” said Justin Martinez of San Francisco.
Beth Cornell is from Pennsylvania and is stopping in Portland first. She’s thankful she’s not flying towards the storm and that she’ll go home after Christmas.
“I’m flying out and taking a red eye out of Portland. I may get stuck in Chicago but I don’t really think so, think positively,” she said.
