Travelers at MSP airport face long queues, cancellations and delays

MINNEAPOLIS — Travelers at MSP had to deal with long queues and cancellations on Saturday.

The storm canceled or delayed almost 200 departures today. It also led to security issues.

The airport says they were short staffed due to the storm, so only one security checkpoint was open for a while.

“…It’s been kind of a nightmare,” said Jim Sexton of Buffalo. “Our flight was canceled because of the weather. As far as staffing and everything else, this is really my worst travel experience…We probably added $1[ads1]0,000 to our trip – probably more than $10,000 to the trip.”

Terminal 1 experienced some of the longest lines.

One traveler told WCCO they got on the plane for their flight only to have it canceled.

“We knew there would be some problems, but nothing like we imagined,” said Summer Picha of Plymouth. “We got to the airport at 1:48, lines like crazy, made it just in time, and found out our flight was delayed – delayed about four hours. Finally got on the plane, sat there, buckled up, ready to go , they asked us to get off the plane.”

While all airlines were affected by the storm, Sun Country Airlines issued a statement apologizing for the delays and cancellations Saturday afternoon.

“Our teams are working hard to resume operations for our customers, and we are grateful for our customers’ patience. We will do everything we can to get them to their destinations safely and as quickly as possible,” Sun Country said in a news release.

As of Saturday, it has been one of the three snowiest winters on record in the metro area.