Storm causes flight delays at SLO County airport: ‘It’s been pretty chaotic’

Denver resident Steve Ruby shook raindrops off of his coat as he stepped into San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport on Monday morning.

Ruby traveled to San Luis Obispo to drop off his daughter at Cal Poly.

He was headed back to Denver on Monday when he encountered road closures on Highway 101 on his way to the airport, causing him to exit at Price Canyon Road instead of his expected exit.

“It was rough,” Ruby said with a chuckle.

Still, he made it to the airport on time — and hoped his flight will depart on time too.

Courtney Pene, San Luis Obispo County deputy director of airports, said a handful of flights had been redirected or delayed at the San Luis Obispo airport due to the severe storm that brought heavy rains and strong winds to the Central Coast.

“Airports up and down the Central Coast are experiencing similar technical difficulties,” Pene said. “The safety of passengers is our priority.”

One flight from Phoenix was redirected to Ontario, while another flight from Portland was diverted to Bakersfield, she said.

Both decisions to redirect were made by the airplane’s pilots due to heavy wind, according to Pene.

With flights not arriving in SLO, there weren’t enough planes to transport people out of SLO — so some outgoing flights have also been delayed, Pene said. She didn’t know how many.

“Every time a flight is diverted, it isn’t there to pick people up,” Pene said. “It’s kind of this ripple effect, if people can’t come in then they can’t leave.”

Pene said it was possible that the airport would close on Monday due to the storm.

“It continues to depend on the weather,” she said.

United Airlines customer service agent Shawn Harris said Monday that it had been a “hectic” day at the San Luis Obispo airport.

“It’s been pretty chaotic, but imagine if this happened during Christmas,” Harris said.

A handful of flights have been delayed due to the storm, according to Harris.

“It’s been a balancing act between safety and expediency,” Harris said.

With flights running off-schedule, travelers were sometimes arriving at their destinations at different times than their baggage, Harris said.

Travelers were also getting stuck in the rain on their way to the airport and missing their flights, he said.

“We’ve had to re-book a few people,” Harris said. “They’re showing up incredibly late because it’s so difficult to get here.”

Harris has lived in SLO since 1983, and said he hasn’t seen a storm quite like this one.

“I’ve seen a few storms,” Harris said. “But this one’s been going on so long and it’s so strong.”

This story was originally published January 9, 2023 at 3:10 PM.

Stephanie Zappelli

The Tribune

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Stephanie Zappelli is the environment and immigration reporter for The Tribune. Born and raised in San Diego, they graduated from Cal Poly with a journalism degree. When not writing, they enjoy playing guitar, reading and exploring the outdoors.