A travel nightmare unfolded for many at Chicago airports late Thursday and into Friday morning as hundreds were left stranded following evening storms.
Passengers took to social media to express their frustration as numerous flights were canceled and several others delayed at both O'Hare and Midway airports.
Storms canceled hundreds of flights Thursday afternoon and at one point prompted a ground stop at both airports for arriving planes.
By 6 a.m. Friday, more than 140 flights were canceled at O'Hare Airport and another 19 at Midway.
Brent Rolland told NBC 5 he was simply trying to fly out for his vacation to Las Vegas and arrived at Midway around 5 p.m. only to have his flights canceled - twice. He was still standing in line at 6 a.m. Friday.
Photos on social media showed crowds of people sitting in lines and on check-in counters as they waited at the airport.
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U.S. & World
Southwest Airlines said in a statement that "many flights in Chicago and several other Southwest destinations have been delayed or cancelled due to weather-related factors."
"Southwest Employees are committed to operating safely, while minimizing the inconvenience to passengers, during conditions," the airline said in a statement.
Meanwhile, at O'Hare Airport, photos showed passengers sleeping on cots after being stranded at the airport overnight.
The storms also prompted the evacuation of Lollapalooza and forced the massive music festival to cancel several headlining performances for the night.
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