Midwest snowstorms cause headaches for RDU travelers

RDU (WTVD) -- Overcast skies above Raleigh-Durham International Airport seem to have little effect on arrivals and departures Monday. But we've seen some delays and cancellations related to the severe wintry weather battering some Midwestern Plains states.

Problems include snowstorms that have people in Kansas and Iowa sliding across slippery roads. Those conditions, and worse, affect the number and timing of flights at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, a hub for United and American airlines.

But while people in that airport wait for conditions to improve and others reschedule their flights, a Chicago couple we met at RDU seemed unaffected by the storm.

"Well," said a smiling Bill Czjaa, "you have to deal with it. If you like snow, it's kind of a blessing."

His wife Carol agreed. "It's our idea of a good time, right?"

That's not a sentiment shared by Anita Flowe, a passenger we met as she hurried to catch a flight from RDU to Minneapolis. Her ordinary route takes her through O'Hare but on this day, she connected in Baltimore instead.

While she's aware of the problems faced by passengers in Chicago, she said, "I'm glad I'm not one of them, to be honest. I try to avoid that stuff as much as I can, and be prepared."

If you're flying to or through Chicago, check with your airline for updates before you travel to RDU.