East coast delays effect family reunions at Salisbury Airport

SALISBURY, Md. – Around Christmas time the Salisbury Airport might be the last place on Delmarva you want to find yourself at. It means you, or a loved one, will be part of millions of Americans at airports across the country trying to make it to their destinations on time.

And for many, arriving on time won’t happen.

“I guess you can expect that there’s always going to be some type of delays, with how crazy busy the airport is,” said Jennifer Taylor, who traveled in from Miami to see her family.

Delays were seen up and down the east coast Friday, with between two to three million people expected to take to the skies nationally.

“I know Miami was extremely busy. Philadelphia wasn’t as bad, but I did hear throughout the terminal that there were delays all over,” said Taylor.

The delays were obvious at the Salisbury Airport, as slowly, a crowd began gathering for a plane from Philadelphia, almost two hours late, due to maintenance.

“I called my dad, and I was still on the plane waiting to depart, and he was already in Salisbury waiting for me,” said Taylor.

The wait was that much greater for those waiting on military members who have been gone, like Tabitha Meagher, who was waiting for her boyfriend in basic training coming home from Missouri.

“He flew from Missouri to Pennsylvania, as a crossover flight,” said Meagher, a Salisbury resident. “He experienced about an hour delay, he said something about maintenance.”

Though the welcome home came almost two hours late for this flight, everyone can go home and enjoy the holidays together.

Thursday and Friday were expected to be the heaviest travel days, by air, across the country. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are expected to be lightest travel days, with the day after Christmas, once again, expected to be a heavy day for people flying home.