MSP Airport travelers get out ahead of winter storm

As some travelers prepare for the snowy drive ahead, others are checking for flight delays and cancellations.

With long lines and longer wait times, the incoming storm has airlines and passengers making changes - and leaving a day early.

“It was yesterday when I got the email from Delta that our flights were impacted, and with four kids, I wasn’t gonna get delayed and sit in an airport all day,” said Ashley Erickson, who decided to fly out early.

Omar Ahmed and his sister were supposed to fly home to New Jersey on Wednesday, but they were able to change their flight and leave a day early to escape the storm.

“We just wanted to leave sooner. We were worried about the snow, not being able to travel, the traffic. All of that played in to it," he said.

They are among the more than 1,000 travelers at MSP Airport who used a weather waiver from Delta Airlines that allowed them to change flights without paying a fee. Several other airlines offered similar waivers to help travelers make other arrangements before it’s too late.

"It's an issue of whether you can find a flight that will work for you but for some people it is obviously working so that's a good thing," said MSP Airport Spokesperson John Welbes.

Airport officials say the airlines have already begun canceling some flights and delaying others so planes don’t get stuck here during the storm. Additionally, 160 field maintenance crew members will be working around the clock to keep the runways clear until the snow stops falling.

"This is what we do, this is their big event. We’re geared up and we hope we can do well tomorrow…attack the runways and keep things flowing as well," Welbes said.

As always, airport officials say to arrive two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights. Also give yourself extra time to account for snow-covered roads and the steady stream of cars waiting to pick up and drop off passengers on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

“I've never see this much traffic. I didn't know this many people lived in Minnesota," Ahmed said.