PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – If you’re flying to or from Portland International Airport Thursday, good luck.
The vast majority of flights scheduled to arrive or depart from the airport before 6 p.m. are either canceled or significantly delayed after a snow storm Wednesday dumped more than 10 inches of snow on the city.
All Southwest flights appear to be cancelled through Thursday night, according to the airport’s website. When it comes to other carriers, travelers should check online to see their flight’s status before heading to the airport.
After 4 p.m., flypdx.com shows several flights that have been delayed or cancelled.
On Twitter, Flypdx said the airport is open and operational, but some flights were electing to divert to Seattle. The decision on whether to land in Portland was left up to the pilots.
“PDX alternates plowing the runways; when one is being plowed, it is closed to air traffic for safety reasons,” Flypdx wrote.
Overnight, KOIN received several reports from travelers who were stranded at PDX.
Roads leading to and from the airport were backed up or closed due to the weather. The MAX train that transports people to the airport was also stalled. People reported sitting on the train for hours near the airport.
Gerri Lutes, who lives in France, was at the Portland International Airport Wednesday night and told KOIN 6 News that she believes about 5,000 people slept overnight at the airport in baggage claim after all flights were canceled. That was at around 10:45 p.m. Wednesday.
At 12:25 a.m. Thursday, Marcellus Dodge told KOIN 6 News there were about 1,000 people in the baggage claim area waiting for their luggage.
His family was on a flight to Portland from Honolulu and he said the plane was stuck on the tarmac for more than 2 hours because of the snow.