Chaotic day-after-Christmas travel at RDU: 'Try and laugh it off'

MORRISVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Linda Johnson will get to her son's wedding near Springfield Massachusetts on Thursday.

It just won't be on a Breeze Airways flight to Hartford.

"I expect it to be crazy because I've flown a lot but this is insane," she said.

She drove up from Fayetteville on Tuesday morning early for the flight to Bradley International Airport and to rent a car from there. After boarding the plane, she and other passengers were taken off of it.

"We heard the engine turn on, we were going to go and then the flight was canceled. so we're trying to find our way to Hartford," said Alisa McDonald, who was also on the Breeze flight to Hartford.

They decided to go home to get their car to make the full drive up to Connecticut to see family.

"We just have to try and laugh it off and remember this Christmas years later," she said.

Nearly 100 flights were delayed Tuesday and three were canceled in and out of Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

Sean Williams had a great experience coming home to visit family in Raleigh from Miami.

It was his first trip with his new baby.

"It was pretty smooth actually," said Sean. "It wasn't too bad today. I don't know if we got lucky, because it was pretty smooth coming in and out."

Speaking of lucky, ABC11 cameras got to see America Castillo reuniting with her little brother Geovany.

They haven't seen each other in 728 days.

Cpl. Geovany Rodela is in the Marines and stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

"My parents don't know he's here yet, so it's a surprise for them too," Castillo said.

ABC11 also reached out to Breeze Airways to figure out what happened and to see whether the people on that flight would be getting a refund.