'Very upsetting:' Travelers frustrated as winter storm cancels flights at Tampa International Airport
Feb 22, 2026
A winter storm hammering the Northeast is causing significant travel disruptions at Tampa International Airport, with more than 60 flights canceled and dozens more delayed, Sunday evening.Tampa Bay 28 reporter Annette Gutierrez
went to TPA, and spoke with travelers who described frustration and uncertainty as flight changes mounted throughout the day."Very upsetting," said Amy Frank, a traveler headed to Maryland.TPA's website displayed an alert Sunday warning passengers that "winter weather conditions are expected to cause travel disruptions across much of the country throughout the day." Of the nearly 600 flights scheduled at the airport Sunday, 65 flights had been canceled and 174 delayed as of 8 p.m. a number that continued climbing by the hour.The travel boards inside the airport showed cancellations affecting flights to New York, Maryland, and Canada.Frank and her mother, Diana Fisher, had just returned from a cruise and were expecting to fly home to Baltimore when their flight was canceled."We've got a flight tomorrow at six, but it's going to Chicago first and then to D.C. So we're just waiting we're in limbo," Frank said.Frank and her mother said they planned to camp out at the airport overnight and were prepared to drive home if their morning flight was also canceled."If that flight gets cancelled tomorrow, we're going to have to drive from here, and that's a long drive," Frank said.Fisher emphasized why it's so important for them to get back home."We really want to get home because she's got two little kids at home waiting for us," Fisher said.Not all travelers faced the worst of the disruptions. Paul LeBlanc was at the airport waiting for a family member flying in from Toronto, Canada. He said his sister had proactively changed her original Monday flight to Sunday to get ahead of a forecast calling for 12 to 18 inches of snow in Nova Scotia."My sister does have a bit of anxiety, so we were glad she was able to change her flight because the 12-18 inches that will hit Nova Scotia, the airport will probably be closed," LeBlanc said. LeBlanc said his sister's flight still experienced some delays out of Toronto."Toronto did have light snow and a bit of freezing rain, so they were about an hour late leaving Toronto because it's quite congested," LeBlanc said.TPA said it recommends that travelers planning to fly in the coming days check with their airline and plan ahead.
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