Travel eases in Chicago a day after record snowfall disruptions

CHICAGO - One day after Chicago saw record-setting snowfall, Sunday was a much quieter and more routine day for travelers at Midway Airport as the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend nears its conclusion. 

What we know:

It's a far cry from 24 hours earlier when both of Chicago’s major airports saw some of the longest flight delays in the country.

One traveler at O’Hare on Saturday told Fox 32, "We’re heading to Reno Nevada and we’re delayed by three hours!" 

Complicating this year’s travel experience was the recent and unusually warm Thanksgiving weekends.

"Honestly, what’s making this kinda seem more unusual to a lot of people is the last couple of  winters we’ve kinda been more on the mild side. December has been fairly dormant from a snow perspective," said Zachary Yack with the National Weather

According to a report from FLIGHTAWARE, by Sunday afternoon there were well over 4,000 flight delays nationwide.

After a four-hour-long delay at O’Hare that didn’t guarantee her a trip home, BJ Dawson Chism made the decision to improve her chances, giving up her ticket, getting into a car and heading to Midway. 

"I was able to get on to a flight going home tonight because I need to be in Atlanta tomorrow," she said.

In Indiana, nearly two million people hit the road for the Thanksgiving holiday, traveling more than 50 miles to their destinations, and yet for hundreds of motorists, slick conditions proved too much, derailing their weekend plans. 

"It’s really unfortunate that this weather comes on a very busy holiday, but that’s the hand we were dealt," said Jordan Yaney with Indiana’s Department of Transportation. 

Meanwhile, AAA expects more than 3 million people to travel by air on Monday, wrapping up the long holiday weekend, so we’re not done just yet.