Airport Chaos Across Country Causes Temporary Delays On Nantucket

Over 1,300 flights were cancelled this weekend across the country and these cancellations had a trickle down effect on Nantucket Memorial Airport, which was forced to suspend TSA screening several times throughout the day Saturday.

Assistant airport manager Noah Karberg said the national picture from an airport perspective “was a mess” this weekend and that when there are multiple delays or cancelled flights, the hold room can fill up since no one is leaving.

This forced the airport to suspend TSA screenings at various points while Nantucket faced very hot temperatures. NBC News reported on Sunday that delays also totaled “in the thousands” over the weekend.

One passenger who was at the airport during this time told the Current the waiting area felt like it was over 90 degrees and was uncomfortable.

Karberg said he received a complaint about the temperature in both the terminal and the tent Saturday evening and that airport was actively working to address the issue.

“The tent of course is not (air) conditioned space, and with warmer than average temperatures we are looking into options for temporary/portable cooling and fans,” Karberg told the Current on Saturday. “I also received a complaint regarding the temperature in the terminal. From an initial review, it appears the HVAC is working, but is having trouble keeping up with the high humidity. We have an employee monitoring the system to ensure it catches up and that there is not a mechanical issue.”