Delayed and diverted flights at Charlotte Douglas lead to despair among families

CHARLOTTE — It’s peak vacation season for travelers, but many are getting an unpleasant surprise as they check in for their flights at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Bill Clendaniel was set to fly to Vancouver with United Airlines this morning to celebrate his 70th birthday.

“She went to punch ours in and it said ‘Your flight is canceled.’” Clendaniel explained.

Susan Zaleski was also flying with United but headed to Chicago. Her flight was just one of the 38 canceled flights from Charlotte Douglas.

“They first said they didn’t have a crew, then suddenly the plane was taken out of service,” Zaleski said. “All the planes are out of service. United has basically canceled all their flights.

In addition to the 38 canceled flights, 95 were delayed.

One family spent hours and hours waiting in the airport after their flight to Raleigh from Orlando was diverted to Charlotte.

“Our family was returning from a wonderful vacation at Walt Disney World turned immediately into a nightmare for my kid,” Chris Curtis said. "

Curtis and his family flew Southwest and experienced multiple delays on top of the diversion. They spent the night at the airport while waiting for a morning flight.

“I just want to get my family home safe.,” he said.

Some others experiencing cancellations decided to take a longer route home than try to reschedule their flight.

“We’re going to rent a car and drive 13 hours,” Zaleski told Channel 9′s Almiya White.

Clendaniel is still waiting, and he just hopes to spend his birthday in Vancouver.

“We have two days of sightseeing in Vancouver that we have planned so it might not happen now,” Clendaniel said.

(WATCH: More changes coming to Charlotte Douglas Airport)

More changes coming to Charlotte Douglas Airport

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