WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Timothy Rooks was picking up his bags at Palm Beach International Airport. He had just flown in from college in North Dakota. He was feeling lucky because his flight wasn't canceled.
"I still noticed airlines were still canceling flights. I guess, apparently, mine wasn't canceled," he said.
Thousands of travelers were hoping to make it home for Christmas this year but were left stranded as airlines canceled flights with the spread of the omicron variant.
"I was getting updates from American on my phone also, so they kept me informed," Brenda Alexander said.
Globally airlines canceled more than 2,300 flights today. And total cancellations within, into, or out of the United States on Friday at 663, according to the flight-tracking website Flight Aware.
Francine Sternthal flew into the states on Air Canada.
"We had no cancellations, not even a delay," she said.
At Fort Lauderdale International, dozens of flights never took off, leaving some travelers scrambling to get home.
Timothy Rooks is thankful that wasn't the case for him, and he's happy to be back in South Florida.
"I"m staying about three weeks," he said.
The best advice anyone can give you is if you plan to travel on Christmas Day: Check with the airline you're flying with to make sure your flight isn't canceled.