DES MOINES, Iowa — It's not exactly breaking news that the holidays are a busy time for traveling. But between winter weather and a failure of Southwest Airlines' computer system...
"It's kind of been the perfect storm for flight delays. We've had plenty of travelers here in the past week, miss flights, their trips get canceled, their trips get delayed," said Victoria Ogier, owner of Good Trip Travel Co, an Iowa-based travel agency.
According to flight tracking website FlightAware, eight flights into or out of Des Moines were cancelled on Wednesday, and six were delayed.
These numbers are slightly down from Tuesday, when there were nine cancelations and 23 delays.
And as that chaos continues in the air, many travelers are choosing to stay grounded.
Officials at the Jefferson Lines bus station in Des Moines said that they've been seeing more riders in the past few days opting to take a bus after having their flight cancelled.
Sharon Baker was waiting at the station for her granddaughter to arrive. She said that she chose to put her on a bus to avoid the hectic rush up in the air.
"The planes seem to be all bottled up, and we didn't think that we wanted her to have to do that alone," Baker said. "So she's on the bus so she can just come right on in."
But for travelers who are hoping to keep their heads in the clouds, hope isn't necessarily lost if flight plans change unexpectedly.
Ogier recommends investing in travel insurance during the holiday season, which can help cover the cost of getting an entirely new flight.
"That travel protection will come into play and will come in very handy in these situations where you may be able to use those travel credits to put you on a flight so you can get there," Ogier said.