Last-minute travelers fear being stuck on Christmas

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Holiday travelers riddled with flight delays, cancelations

Christmas Eve has been difficult for last-minute travelers trying to get to their holiday destinations in time.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport continued to be a headache for last-minute flyers trying to make it to their holiday destinations after another day of cancelations and delays.

"Right now, it seems like our plans might be to stay in the airport," said Mason Lafever.

The Lafever family was trying to get to Fort Lauderdale for Christmas, but a flight cancelation would make that impossible. 

The next option was a 9-hour drive, but they said a rental car was hard to come by.

"Either we can catch a flight for later tonight or tomorrow, or we find somewhere that has a car that we can try to grab," Mason said. "But as of right now, it seems we're going to be stuck here."

According to Flight Aware, at least one-third of flights were delayed from Atlanta Saturday. Roughly 1 in 8 were canceled. 

Stephen Garlington faced that brutal reality on his way to Newark.

"Right now, there are no options for tonight," he said. "There are no options for tomorrow morning."

Garlington waited in the United line hoping to salvage his Christmas.

"I have my fingers crossed that we can kind of pull off something exciting here and get somewhere other than Atlanta," he said.

While some travelers are dealing with headaches at airports, air traffic is moving. 

Families, like the Browns, are being reunited for the holiday just in the nick of time.

"We're so relieved that she got to come because we were worried, she might not be able to come because of the weather and all the delays," one of the Brown's said, referring to a traveling loved one.

The travel issues are expected to continue throughout the weekend.

Flight Aware reported more than 100 Christmas Day flights, both into and out of Atlanta, have already canceled.