Travel nightmare causes frustrations at SFO ahead of 4th of July holiday

BySuzanne Phan KGO logo
Thursday, June 29, 2023
Travel nightmare at SFO ahead of 4th of July holiday
In the Bay Area, many people at SFO are facing a travel nightmare exacerbated by staffing shortages and East Coast storms.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- In the Bay Area, many people at SFO are facing a travel nightmare. Some families spent all night and all day at the airport-some people sleeping on the floor.

Parents are juggling crying kids.

Travelers have been waiting in long lines for hours.

"I'm absolutely exhausted. I'm working on almost no sleep. Yeah, I'm a mess right now," said Joseph Rohrer. He and his family are just trying to get home to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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"I've got my wife who hasn't slept in 36 hours. I've got two kids. They are absolutely spent," said Rohrer.

The travel nightmare is exacerbated by staffing shortages and severe storms on the East Coast.

United Airlines travelers are seeing the brunt of the delays and cancellations-especially at SFO.

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For those travelers planning to fly for the 4th of July holiday, airport authorities say there could be more delays.

"In past disruptions, we've seen challenges resetting an airline, getting it back to where it needs to be. When you have a large number delays and cancellations, it displaces not only passengers, but pilots, flight attendants and airplanes. And it can sometimes take a few days to get that back to what it needs to be," said Doug Yakel, SFO Airport spokesman.

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