Passengers at Sea-Tac staying in the Christmas spirit despite delays

SEA-TAC INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – Traveling during the holiday season can be stressful, because of crowds and weather delays around the country. But passengers at Sea-Tac seemed to be taking everything in stride.

“It’s Christmas Eve, I want to see my family!”

Like a lot of people, Jeff Lady is anxious to get home for the holidays. But his flight to Chicago was delayed about 30 minutes Wednesday night.

“The delay has to do with some of the flights from the East Coast; they’re getting hit pretty hard. It has a ripple effect, depending on the airline.”

Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed Wednesday because of thunderstorms and fog.



Jason Ellis knows it’s one of the things that can happen this time of year. But he’s worried about getting back from the holidays, if there are more storms this week.

“I’m in the military so I have to make sure I get back and check in from leave on time. So it’s a major concern of mine right now.”

A white Christmas may be nice, but they can often lead to flight delays. That’s why Joyce Kilgore decided to start a new tradition this year. She’s heading to Hawaii for Christmas.

“I think it’s great, I’ve been waiting for this,” she says. “I’m all wound up, ready to go to the islands.”

Samantha Yard is also meeting family in Hawaii for the holiday.

“All of our family is in the Bay Area, and you think that would be really handy. But it’s actually kind of stressful, because there’s so many people to see,” she admits. “So having some time to relax and do nothing is really exciting, we’re going to try that out.”

Yard was happy when she got to Sea-Tac. She was expecting there to be crowds and long lines, but it looked like not that many people waited until the last minute to travel home.

“I think some people have these traditions where they really want to be at a certain place on Christmas Eve. I have limited holidays from work. So for me, it’s easier to do this and maximize the days I can have on vacation.”