Thousands Stranded On Christmas

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Well, maybe they’ll have a happier New Year. Tens of thousands of Comair and US Airways passengers spent a miserable Christmas thanks to foul-ups that may take until Tuesday to clear up. Comair cancelled all 1,100 of its flights on Christmas Day after the computer that manages flight assignments simply threw in the towel after fighting two days of weather delays and cancellations. “There was a cumulative effect with the cancelled flights and trying to get crew assigned that caused the system to be overwhelmed,” said Comair spokesman Nick Miller. “It just stopped operating.” About 30,000 passengers in 118 cities were affected. Many US Airways passengers encountered another problem altogether: They got where they were going — but without their luggage. Again, the winter storm that socked the Midwest was blamed for thousands of suitcases being heaped in piles at the airline’s hub in Philadelphia while workers tried to sort through them. Naturally, many of the bags held Christmas presents, and some of their owners maintained a vigil to ensure they delivered their holiday cheer. “I can’t show up empty-handed,” John Price told the Associated Press. “That just doesn’t cut it.” Baggage problems were also reported at other major US Airways destinations.

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