Winter storm chaos leaves Chicago travelers scrambling after flight cancellations

Winter storm wallops Chicago airports with cancellations, delays

Hundreds of flights have been canceled at Chicago airports after a strong winter storm passed through the region over the weekend.

CHICAGO - After hundreds of flight cancellations in Chicago over the weekend and today, there’s a lot of catching up to do.

What we know:

The United terminal at O'Hare Airport was bustling Monday with some travelers making their second and third attempts to fly out of Chicago after a chaotic weekend that brought air travel to a standstill in many parts of the country.

The massive winter storm serving up snow, sleet, and freezing rain led to 10,000 flight cancellations Sunday.

As of 11:30 a.m. Monday, 238 flights were canceled at O'Hare and 30 at Midway.

While both O’Hare and Midway had their share of troubles, the FlightAware MiseryMap shows major issues from Boston to Washington D.C. and Dallas Fort-Worth.

What they're saying:

Fliers told Fox Chicago it’s a test of patience.

"This is the third time actually that we stayed, stuck in here," said Alberto Alvarez. 

He and his wife were trying to return to Texas after attending his son‘s graduation from Naval training.

"The airline was very nice. They gave us vouchers so we can stay in the hotel. But it’s been chaotic. I mean it’s been crazy," said Alvarez.

Meir Feit was visiting New York with his wife and four children on Saturday but they were determined to make it to O’Hare for their flight to Costa Rica today.

"We drove from Brooklyn in New York City to Chicago, Illinois in the middle of the craziness, snow and all.  We just barely made it before it got heavy and dangerous," Feit said.

Pauline Gichuri’s travel itinerary was also grueling.

The first leg of her trip was from Nairobi to Frankfurt, then onto Chicago, which was a detour. Her destination is New York after one more stop in Washington DC.

"It’s Mother Nature, not the airline’s problems," she said, smiling. "So we just have to work together, understanding and calm. Stay calm. "

But with ice on the ground and snow still in the forecast in parts of the country— air passengers know they’re not in the clear just yet.