Flight delays not all bad

DAYTON INT'L AIRPORT, Ohio (WDTN) - More than half of the flights at Dayton International Airport were canceled due to the storm, but delays became blessings in disguise for some Miami Valley families.

Michael Allen while was waiting for a friend to pick him up from Cincinnati after arriving a day late in Dayton.
Allen was supposed to arrive in Dayton Wednesday night but ended up staying with family in Atlanta when he got word weather might get in the way of his plans.

"With all the flights being canceled I had to reschedule. Airtran sent me an email and I was able to reschedule for this morning. I'm having to delay everything, won't get to work until tonight," Allen told 2 NEWS.

Allen hadn't been home since last Christmas so on the plus side he got an extra evening with this family.

Then there's Brandon Honeyman who got one more day with family in Troy before saying "good-bye."

"It was well spent, well spent. It's always hard leaving so definitely getting an extra day is a blessing," he said.

Honeyman serves in the navy, stationed in Japan.

"I was concerned at first once I saw it was canceled. I contacted my chain of command and everything was taken care of," added Honeyman.

His mother also considered the extra day a blessing.  She was able to get him new reservations.

"It took me two hours with a United agent. She was wonderful and she was able to get him rerouted and back to Japan in a timely manner," Jennifer Honeyman told 2 NEWS.

Terry Slaybaugh, Director of Aviation for the City of Dayton, said he had people in early Wednesday before the storm hit so they were prepared.  Now he's making sure they get some rest and the equipment used to clear the airfield is ready to go again for the next snowstorm.