NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A hectic holiday weekend of travel continued in Nashville Monday, as thousands of people head home from the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.
Friday through Sunday, more than 10,000 flights were delayed or canceled nationwide. Officials at Nashville International Airport reported 73 flights were canceled during the same time period.
Courtney Cotterill arrived at the airport Monday to learn her flight to Miami was canceled. She was forced to scramble and make other travel plans.
"Since I plan a lot of my work life around traveling, I’m having to rearrange a lot of things right now because of it," said Cotterill. "It's frustrating."
Long lines could be seen at ticket counters and at security checkpoints throughout the afternoon. Some travelers said they were prepared to be flexible, but were hoping for the best.
"I think if you’re going to go to Bonnaroo, you have to have a go-with-the-flow mentality," said Wendy Fetterolf, who was headed to Denver. "If my flight gets delayed, it gets delayed."
"Nothing was going to stop me from getting here, and nothing is going to stop me from getting home," added Wayne Sauramba, who was traveling to Spokane.
Staffing shortages and weather resulted in airlines having a hard time keeping up with increased demand. The Transportation Security Administration reported it screened more than 2.4 million people at security checkpoints across the country on Friday, which was the highest volume since the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and roughly 100,000 more travelers than the Friday before Memorial Day weekend.
Despite increased travel headaches, people at the airport said they had no plans to cancel the remaining summer travel plans. However, they would plan ahead.
"I usually carry a spare change of clothes in my carry-on just in case," said Christian Mitchell, who was traveling to Detroit. "I’ve had times when I got somewhere and my bag was left, or I didn’t get to go, but my bag did."
Officials at BNA said the final passenger numbers for the weekend weren't available yet. They encouraged Summer travelers to check their flight status before coming to the airport and to arrive early.
