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Holiday travel delays, cancelations continue at Sea-Tac Airport

There were at least 90 cancelations and 43 delays at the airport on Monday morning.

SEATAC, Wash. — Travel headaches during the holiday rush aren't letting up as dangerously cold weather in Buffalo, New York has led to more than 3,900 flight cancelations nationwide on Monday.

Those cancelations are having a trickle-down effect at Sea-Tac International Airport as well.

There were at least 90 cancelations and 43 delays on Monday morning. Nationally, Southwest Airlines accounted for the majority of cancelations, canceling 67% of its scheduled flights, which was 2,725 cancelations. 

Some Sea-Tac passengers had their second or third canceled flight.

"So we started on the evening of the 22nd. We got into Seattle. It was supposed to be a two-hour layover and they canceled our flight saying it was due to fog in San Diego and the ice storm in Seattle and we've been here since," said passenger Daniel Clifford. 

Clifford said he and his girlfriend spent an impromptu Christmas in the Evergreen state and were thankful to be together. But after another canceled flight to see his 91-year-old grandmother, frustration was setting in. 

"It's worse that we didn't get notified beforehand so we checked out of our hotel and are now back in line," Clifford said.

Some passengers were told their cancelations were due to staffing issues and not weather. 

"She told me there's no weather delays – nothing's wrong. I just don't have a crew and the nearest I can get out is probably the 29th of December," said traveler Kelsey Kemper. 

KING 5 has not confirmed how many cancelations were caused by staffing shortages. 

The longest wait time at security checkpoints reached 20 minutes on Monday.

Sea-Tac and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have beefed up staffing to try and cut down on wait times.

Sea-Tac is encouraging travelers to plan other options than driving and parking at the airport when possible, like using ride shares, the light rail, or getting dropped off.

SEA Spot Saver can save you time with security lines as well.

The airport also suggests avoiding using departure and arrival drives during busy hours.

    

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