Airport Troubles Delay Flights - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Airport Troubles Delay Flights

Frustration levels at the Minot International Airport were reaching about as high as planes fly today…after a weekend of delays, and cancelations.

The tarmac at the airport was full of jets waiting to take off…

something that hasn't happened for days here because of weather - and technical problems with equipment, mainly the de-icer used to spray planes down before take-off.

That process is a must in weather like we saw this weekend, to keep ice from forming on critical areas of the plane.

Inside, the terminal was full of passengers who had been waiting for hours…and in some cases, days to get on a flight out.

Jesse Smith had had about enough as he again sat waiting for his flight this morning.

He has been delayed since Saturday, and says the constant issues have him at the end of his rope.

(Jesse Smith - Traveling Home to Ohio) "The de-icer for the plane and engine, tanks, pumps...everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. I am trying to get to Ohio."

Smith was waiting a long time to start a relatively short trip - while this family was waiting a short time before starting a very long flight.

Vercel Catane was getting ready to send her loved ones off to the Philippines!

(Vercel Catane - Minot) "That would be like, 26 hours! Now we have a problem because their flight from Minneapolis to Narita (Japan), they are giving us like 10 minutes for the layover that may be very impossible because there is a kid!"

A new de-icing unit arrived in Minot this morning...getting flights moving a bit once again.

Of course it wasn't just outbound flights that had issues - planes coming in were canceled for the last few days too.

Some passengers being re-routed to Bismarck and Grand Forks…others, like a Allegiant flights from Phoenix and Las Vegas due back yesterday being pushed back to today.