Snowstorm leads to flight cancellations, long delays for travelers in Seattle

SEATTLE (KOMO) — Tuesday's snowstorm is impacting travelers at Sea-Tac International Airport in Seattle, as many people have had their flights delayed or canceled due to the winter weather.

FlightAware has recorded 195 cancellations and 228 delays at Sea-Tac Airport as of 1 p.m. Tuesday. Most are Alaska flights but other airlines are impacted, including Delta, SkyWest and Horizon.

We were supposed to fly back home today to the Tri-Cities from Orange County,” said traveler Hayes Inabnit. His family was notified Monday night that their second Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Pasco would be canceled.They were able to book us a flight back to Pasco for 8 o’clock," said Inabnit. "I mean, it’s still frustrating because we’re sitting here for seven hours and we’re not able to get our luggage through security because it’s only four hours before the flight.”

Airport crews spent the morning de-icing planes. An official with Alaska Airlines said de-icing adds to delays because it can take upwards of 30 minutes per plane, and they can only de-ice four at a time because of limited space at the airport.

We are constricted by space here in Seattle, and because we have to move slower, we have to set or schedule or reduce our schedule here in Seattle in order to operate safely for our guests and our customers,” said Kelley Buchanan, who is the vice president of Alaska Airlines Airport Operations and Customer Service.

Alaska initially scheduled to cancel 100 flights Tuesday when they anticipated three to five inches of snow. The airline has since rebooked about 70% of customers so far.

“The flights are full. I am going to be transparent with you,” Buchanan added. “We are working to rebook our guests. So far, based on the cancellations yesterday we booked 70% of those guests and we will continue to rebook them based upon their individual needs.”

An airport spokesperson said crews are working to clear runways and taxiways and the ramps of snow.

“We’ve had our crews out shortly after 11 this morning cleaning snow," according to the spokesperson. "Currently, they continue to be clear of accumulation. Additional de-icing pads have been open on the north and with ends of the runway, as well.”

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