Things are getting back to normal at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Enfield, N.S., after a nor’easter made its way across the province on Friday evening.
Heavy snow, winds and freezing rain left thousands without power – and left flights in and out of the region’s largest airport at a standstill.
“There were many delays and cancellations last night and of course that impacted the morning start up but things are getting back to normal,” said Nicole Scaplen, airport spokesperson.
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Caleigh Alleyne arrived at the airport on Friday around 2 p.m. to head back to Toronto. After boarding her flight, it was delayed, leaving Alleyne and dozens of others stuck on the runway about five hours before they were able to leave the plane.
“We didn’t actually disembark the plane until a little after 8, so at that point, the terminal was actually quite full with other flights that were being delayed and cancelled,” she said.
“I talked to one mother travelling with two small children trying to find a safe place to sleep. They ended up actually sleeping in the chapel, just because they found it was the safest place in the airport to be.”
Alleyne is now scheduled to fly out of Halifax and back home on Saturday, but spent the evening in the airport like many other stranded travellers.
“Myself and a bunch of other passengers, families, solo travellers alike, were sleeping in the airport last night,” she said.
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Adrien Comeau and his family were supposed to be on a beach in Cuba on Saturday morning but instead are stuck waiting for a flight out of Nova Scotia.
Despite a 14-hour delay to start their vacation, Comeau is optimistic.
“We’re running on zero sleep but it’s okay,” he said.
“I’m just thinking that it’s going to be fun. Hopefully we’ll be there soon and it’ll be fun.”
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Mark Veaudry arrived at the airport to learn his flight had been cancelled. He was working the phones to try and rent a car to drive home to Ontario but there were no cars available.
Luckily, his wife came through to help get him home.
“Thankfully my wife was working from the other end where my destination is in Ottawa to give me some assistance. I’m trying from one end, she’s trying from another and she beat me to the punch, she got me a flight at 8 o’clock out of here tonight to Montreal and rent a car in Montreal,” he said.
Veaudry understands the delays, considering the late blast of winter the area received.
“We’re all in a pickle. It’s what it is. It’s just what it is. You can’t fight Mother Nature and if it’s going to have its way with you, I get it. They don’t have any planes sitting around idle waiting to be used, you know what I mean? They’re all somewhere.”
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Although the weather is clearing and planes are now departing the airport, officials say this is a very busy weekend for travellers and advise people to check with their airline to make sure their flight is on time before heading to the airport.
People are also encouraged to leave enough time to find parking and to make your way through security.
“It is busy this weekend with March break beginning here in Nova Scotia and, of course, the March break in New Brunswick. We will see more travellers that are arriving coming from that area. So it will be busy on both ends, for departures and arrivals,” said Scaplen.
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