Redmond Airport plugs along as travelers scramble amid mass flight cancellations

(Update: Adding video, comments)

Amid weather and COVID impacts, 'people should be very closely watching' their flight status

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Thousands of flights were canceled across the nation this holiday weekend due in part to the rapid spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 omicron variant, leaving many scrambling to find a way home for the holidays. And in the Northwest, rare snowfall at lower elevations didn't help the situation at all.

A rare cold snap that brought heavy snowfall across the Pacific Northwest has made way for hazardous post-Christmas travel conditions in cities like Portland and Seattle.

A band of heavier snow with accumulations of 4 to 6 inches blanketed much of the Seattle metro area on Sunday, impacting thousands of travelers at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with mass delays and cancellations.

As of Monday afternoon, Sea-Tac had the most delays and cancellations in the world, according to FlightAware.

But here on the High Desert, the Redmond Airport continued to plug along, despite snow-triggered weather delays, says Director Zachary Bass.

"With COVID, there has been a lot of changes with flights," Bass said. "Then you throw on top of that this winter storm that just hit the Northwest, and people should be very closely watching those flights." 

Bass cautions travelers to plan ahead, as COVID and rough weather conditions continue to cause disruption.

"People need to be aware of those flights and checking in constantly," Bass said.

Globally, more than 6,000 flights were canceled between Dec. 24-26, with the northwest being one of the hardest hit areas.

But Bass says delays or cancellations in Redmond have been minimal.

The airport's flight status page showed several canceled or delayed arrivals and departures as of midday Monday.

Compared to other cities getting a heavy dose of rare snowfall, Bass says Redmond is likely to be more prepared than most, due to Central Oregon's climate.

"There's a few things that have occurred," Bass said. "One is, we're fully staffed operationally. Two, during COVID we built a new parking lot, but we also built a $14 million snow removal equipment building, and we received two new pieces of equipment."

But Bass reminds travelers that despite precautions, issues with the entire airline system can have a domino effect on your travel plans.

"Again, airlines nationally are different, but we're all interconnected," Bass said. "If there's an issue with an airline of even a destination in New York, we still see the effects of that."