Thousands of travelers stranded at Chicago airports
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Thousands of airline passengers who were stranded overnight at Chicago's airports are still scrambling to find flights the day after a winter storm struck.
Airlines are playing catchup after about a thousand flights were canceled Monday. On Tuesday, 245 flights at O'Hare International Airport and 24 flights at Midway International Airport were also canceled. Both airports are also experiencing minor delays.
Since it's the holiday season and flights were already packed to begin with, many travelers are left wondering when they'll be able to get onto a plane. The stranded passengers O'Hare and Midway have snatched up nearly every available seat on the flights that are making it out of town.
"We weren't anticipating being gone more than a day so we didn't bring a change of clothes with us. This has just been a nightmare," said Shawn Parcells.
And if you can believe it, he was one of the lucky ones because he was able to stay in a room at the Hilton O'Hare, which was at 100-percent capacity Monday night.
"There was a lot of people waiting for rooms. We were happy to accommodate as many passengers as we could," said Leticia Phocas, manager, Hilton O'Hare.
Phil Siligmueller is determined to go on vacation even though his flight was canceled.
"We're going to have some fun. We're going to try to find another flight," Siligmueller said.
While Siligmueller is taking it in stride, other passengers aren't.
"Our flight was at 5:30. It's 10 o'clock and they canceled it and now they won't even let us speak to someone," one woman said through tears.
Airlines are encouraging passengers to call ahead before heading to the airport.
