Planners at the Dallas - Fort Worth International Airport predicted 4.7 million people to come through the airport during the holiday season between December 20 and January 7. Thursday, many of them were delayed or rerouted because of the severe weather that stormed through North Texas.
Out of the thousands of waiting people in the airport Thursday morning, six-year-old Titan may have been one of the most anxious. A sprint down the terminal ended his wait when he saw his dad, Michael Rushing, picking him up for the holidays while he is on leave from the military in North Carolina.
“We’ve got a lot to be thankful for. Look at where we live. The communities around us. There’s a lot to be thankful for in these moments," said Rushing.
Rushing told NBC 5 he flew through some of the most turbulent weather he's been through. His flight back home was canceled.
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“We'll figure it out. That’s what I do, man. I take problem sets and figure it out. We'll talk to the counter and we’ll take it from there. It’s all about spending time together," said Rushing.
This was one of many stories of people coming and going after the wind and rain scuttled travel plans. Most of the time, the wait was short, like the thirty-minute delay for Cameron Pate.
"Some incoming flights were kind of delayed from San Fran so we had to switch planes a couple times," said Pate.
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Pate's flying with his girlfriend to Las Vegas to watch Texas A&M play the University of Southern California in the bowl game - a Christmas gift from his parents.
“Probably hit the casinos a little bit," said Pate.
Thursday the wait was finally over for the Saunders family as well. After traveling back and forth from San Diego for years, they finally made the move to Texas for good.
“We left beautiful San Diego and arrived to this... but it’s Texas and it will change in an hour," said Saunders.
Airport officials suggest people schedule extra time for dropping off and picking up passengers. There's construction ongoing on the main parkway and in Terminal C, which may delay some travelers.
