After a power outage grounded American Airlines flights nationwide Tuesday morning, 5 out of 6 flights scheduled for today at Columbia Regional Airport were delayed, all due to weather conditions across the country.
Tamara Bentler, whose flight from COU to Mississippi was delayed by more than 4 hours, said the airline did not initially provide a specific reason for the delay.
“I have the app, but I feel like I could be notified, because I signed up for texting. But I feel like I’m not really notified via texting,” Bentler said.
Other passengers also mentioned the issue of inappropriate notifications.
“[The airline should] “The communications would definitely go faster,” said Trent Nichols, who flew from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to Columbia. “Because I would get updates from my family, like, ‘Hey, your flight’s delayed,’ and then I would get the notification.” [from American Airlines] “After 15 or 20 minutes.”
Regarding the impact on travel plans, Nicholls said: “I know a lot of others had their plans affected at the airport. People were thinking should I get hotels or should I go home and wait. Fortunately, not much happened for me, at least during the day.
Dornobari Agyinwo’s first flight, from Miami to Chicago, was delayed by an hour and a half.
“I was scared because it’s Christmas Eve, and I didn’t want to spend Christmas stuck on the road. I just want to be home with my kids,” Ageno said.
Ajinwo was able to catch her connecting flight to Colombia thanks to the long layover she had planned.
According to COU Customer Service Representative Christina Robinson, the customer service team assists passengers by rebooking, rerouting and providing meals or hotel accommodations if necessary.
Robinson also mentioned that passenger volume at COU this year is about the same as last year, with most flights operating at full capacity.
