More than 300 flights coming in and out of San Diego International Airport were delayed 1.5 hours on Friday because of fog that’s been lingering since Thursday night.
There were 349 flights delayed and 42 canceled at San Diego airport as of 3:30 p.m. on Friday, according to FlightAware. A ground delay had been in effect earlier Friday morning due to the fog, said Nicole Hall, spokesperson for the San Diego International Airport.
She said there was also a ground delay on Thursday night, which was lifted but created a domino effect impacting Friday’s flight schedule.
“All the flights have to catch up with the delays,” she said. “So, we anticipate that delay to continue through the remainder of the day.”
Hall advises travelers or anyone picking people up to check the flight status directly with the airline carrier before heading to the airport.
“They can also check the airport’s website at san.org and they have listings of arriving and departing flights to see the impacts of both the ground delay from last night and this morning,” she said.
The fog is disrupting what is already a busy holiday travel period, as the post-New Year’s Day rush lasts through Sunday. Airport officials projected a record-breaking 1.3 million people will fly in and out of the airport over an 18-day period that began Dec. 19.
During the most hectic travel days — right before or after Christmas and New Year’s — the airport estimated about 80,000 people arriving and departing daily, Hall said.
Scheduling hiccups are to be expected during one of the country’s busiest travel periods of the year. But weather delays have already plagued San Diego travelers this season. Across three days leading up to Christmas, thick fog delayed nearly 800 flights at San Diego International Airport.
