Skip to content
NOWCAST KOCO 10:30pm-11pm Sunday Night
Live Now
Advertisement

Over 1,000 travelers stranded at Will Rogers World Airport after flights diverted due to weather

Dangerous storms near Dallas caused many planes to divert to Oklahoma City on Thursday

Over 1,000 travelers stranded at Will Rogers World Airport after flights diverted due to weather

Dangerous storms near Dallas caused many planes to divert to Oklahoma City on Thursday

PLANES SAFELY. HERE AT THE WILL ROGERS WORLD AIRPORT, THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE MANY PASSENGERS THAT WERE FORCED TO STAY HERE IN THE AIRPORT OR HERE IN THE CITY OVERNIGHT DUE TO EXTREME WEATHER IN DALLAS. NOW, THE AMERICAN AIRLINES CREW IS DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO SEE THEIR PASSENGERS NEEDS DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER. WE HAD 13 PLANES TOTAL THAT FLEW IN LAST NIGHT STARTING AROUND. LOOK LIKE AROUND LIKE NINE, 10:00 IN WHILE WAITING OUT THE SEVERE WEATHER. THIS FORCED 1300 PEOPLE TO STAY IN THE AIRPORT OR FIND ACCOMMODATIONS FOR CARS AND HOTELS. THIS INCLUDED TWO INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS FROM COSTA RICA AND MEXICO WITH AIRPORT STAFF REQUESTING BORDER CONTROL TO COME IN AND HELP. I’VE BEEN HERE PROBABLY CLOSE TO 15 HOURS. WELL, 14, 14 PLUS HOURS. AND I PROBABLY WON’T MAKE IT HOME FOR ANOTHER EIGHT. AIRPORT STAFF SAYS WITH SOME OF THE HOTELS AT FULL CAPACITY THAT THIS CAUSED SOME PASSENGERS LIKE SAMUEL TO SPEND THE NIGHT IN THE AIRPORT. BUT HE SAYS HE REALIZES THE CREWS ARE DOING THEIR BEST TO KEEP ALL TRAVELERS SAFE DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER. I TRAVEL 90% OF THE TIME FROM FOR BUSINESS. AND SO, I MEAN, I SEE A LOT OF THAT, BUT NOT ENOUGH DISRUPTIVE PATTERNS. BUT THIS ONE WAS THESE WERE MAJOR THUNDERSTORMS. THE PILOT MENTIONED IT WAS, YOU KNOW, THUNDERHEADS UP TO 50,000 FEET. AND THEY WERE BIG. AIRPORT STAFF SAYS AMERICAN AIRLINE CREWS WILL BE HELPING PASSENGERS GET ON THE NEXT AVAILABLE FLIGHT. IT’S STARTING TO BECOME MORE COMMON. WE DO WE HAVE RECEIVED MORE DIVERT DUE TO WEATHER DURING THIS TIME OF YEAR. APRIL, MAY, WE WILL SEE THOSE. BUT TO HAVE AS MANY PLANES AS WE HAD WITHIN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME IS VERY UNUSUAL. THEY SAY SOME PLANES WERE ABLE TO TAKE OFF EARLY THIS MORNING, BUT THERE ARE STILL MANY WAITING TO SEE WHEN THEY’LL GET TO BOARD. THEY ARE URGING TRAVELERS TO CHECK THEIR AMERIC
Advertisement
Over 1,000 travelers stranded at Will Rogers World Airport after flights diverted due to weather

Dangerous storms near Dallas caused many planes to divert to Oklahoma City on Thursday

Dangerous storms near Dallas caused many planes to divert to Oklahoma City on Thursday, leaving many passengers to spend the night at Will Rogers World Airport."Due to severe weather, we had 13 planes total that flew in last night around 9 or 10 o'clock," said Stacey Hamm with Will Rogers World Airport.Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.While waiting out the severe storms, 1,300 people were forced to stay in the airport or find accommodations for cars and hotels. Two of these unexpected arrivals were international flights from Costa Rica and Mexico, causing airport staff to request border control to come in and help."I've been here probably close to 14-plus hours, and I probably won't make it home for another eight," said Samuel Pole, who was traveling to Dallas-Fort Worth.Airport staff said some hotels being at full capacity caused some passengers to spend the night at Will Rogers World Airport. But he said he realizes the crews were doing their best to keep all travelers safe."I travel 90% of the time for business, and I see a lot of that but not enough disruptive patterns. But these were major thunderstorms," Pole said. "The pilot mentioned it was thunderheads of up to 50,000 feet. They were big.">> Download the KOCO 5 AppAmerican Airlines crews will continue helping passengers get on the next available flights, according to airport staff."It's starting to become more common. We have received more diverts due to weather during this time of year – April, May," Hamm said. "But to have as many planes that we had in a short amount of time is very unusual." They said some planes took off early Friday morning, but there are still many waiting to see when they'll get to board. Airport officials urge travelers to check their American Airlines app to check their flight status.Top Headlines National Weather Service details tracks of five confirmed tornadoes in Oklahoma 2 dead after blown-out tire causes multi-vehicle crash on I-240, OHP says Sky 5 shows devastation caused by EF-3 tornado in Cole Man finds Shawnee home he lived in for almost six decades destroyed by tornado Crews work to assess, fix damage caused by deadly Oklahoma tornadoes Preliminary reports rate Cole tornado EF-3, Shawnee tornado EF-2; NWS still surveying damage Victim killed in McClain County tornado identified as 66-year-old man

Dangerous storms near Dallas caused many planes to divert to Oklahoma City on Thursday, leaving many passengers to spend the night at Will Rogers World Airport.

"Due to severe weather, we had 13 planes total that flew in last night around 9 or 10 o'clock," said Stacey Hamm with Will Rogers World Airport.

Advertisement

Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.

While waiting out the severe storms, 1,300 people were forced to stay in the airport or find accommodations for cars and hotels. Two of these unexpected arrivals were international flights from Costa Rica and Mexico, causing airport staff to request border control to come in and help.

"I've been here probably close to 14-plus hours, and I probably won't make it home for another eight," said Samuel Pole, who was traveling to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Airport staff said some hotels being at full capacity caused some passengers to spend the night at Will Rogers World Airport. But he said he realizes the crews were doing their best to keep all travelers safe.

"I travel 90% of the time for business, and I see a lot of that but not enough disruptive patterns. But these were major thunderstorms," Pole said. "The pilot mentioned it was thunderheads of up to 50,000 feet. They were big."

>> Download the KOCO 5 App

American Airlines crews will continue helping passengers get on the next available flights, according to airport staff.

"It's starting to become more common. We have received more diverts due to weather during this time of year – April, May," Hamm said. "But to have as many planes that we had in a short amount of time is very unusual."

They said some planes took off early Friday morning, but there are still many waiting to see when they'll get to board. Airport officials urge travelers to check their American Airlines app to check their flight status.

Top Headlines