Travelers Still Facing Delays, Cancellations at SFO

By Bay City News

Travelers at San Francisco International Airport continue to face flight delays and cancellations today, though fewer than the airport saw over the weekend following the deadly Asiana Airlines Flight 214, an airport duty manager said.

Airport Duty Manager Shannon Wilson said there is a roughly 90-minute delay on arrivals at SFO this morning and 17 departing flights are cancelled.

The delayed and cancelled flights are technically due to low-lying clouds, which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to impose a ground delay program on the airport, Wilson said.

However, cancellations and delays are expected to continue into the afternoon even under sunny skies, since one of the airport's four runways remains closed, he said.

There is no estimated time for the reopening of Runway 28L, which was the site of the Asiana Airlines crash Saturday that left two dead and more than 180 injured.

All SFO flights were diverted or cancelled following the crash.

Two of four runways reopened later on Saturday, and a third reopened around 1  p.m. on Sunday, according to airport officials.

Meanwhile, more than 200 stranded travelers spent the night in the airport and awoke this morning in hopes of catching a flight, according to Wilson.

That's down from the roughly 800 people who stayed in the airport on Saturday night, he said.

Wilson said airport vendors stayed open overnight to accommodate the overflow of travelers and airport workers passed out pillows and blankets to those spending the night at SFO.

Passengers affected by the flight delays and cancellations are advised to contact their airline companies for information about nearby accommodations.

"As always, we advise travelers to contact their airline for information before they come to the airport," Wilson said.

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