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Chaos continues as Southwest cancels flights to, from Des Moines

According to flight tracking website FlightAware, more than 4,900 flights were cancelled nationwide on Dec. 27.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Travel woes continue at airports across the country, and Des Moines International is no exception. 

When Tatiana Carey arrived at the airport the morning of Dec. 27, she was packed and ready for a flight to Denver— but fate (and Southwest Airlines) had other plans in store.

"When I got here, the flight was canceled," Carey said. "And they told us that everything's been canceled for the next four days, but they don't know why, they don't have any information."

She's not alone; more than 4,900 flights were cancelled across the U.S., according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Among them, almost two thirds were Southwest flights.

Carey said that even after receiving a notification that her flight had been cancelled, she was still getting emails adjusting the departure time of a flight that wasn't even happening.

"I don't really know what's going on," Carey said. "But it was weird. I really don't know anything about it. I keep getting emails with updates that are not real."

With planes not cutting it, many travelers have started looking towards trains or rental cars to get them where they're going. But those solutions have their own issues.

"Rental cars are all taken, and we're looking into buses right now as the last choice. Trains are full for a couple of days, and other flights are out until Friday," said Julie Burton, who also had her flight cancelled.

While the delays and cancellations probably aren't ideal for anyone, would-be were doing their best to stay positive—especially by trying not to take out their frustration on airline staff.

"I'm not gonna let myself get wound up about it," Burton said. "It's not gonna do anybody any good. It's not gonna make any change. So it is what it is."

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