Emergency Landings, Hotel Fire and More Christmas Travel Hardships

With gifts to buy and family to visit with, the holidays can be stressful enough on their own.

Nonetheless, the seasonal travel period comprising Christmas and New Year's is notorious for crowds, anxiety-inducing security checkpoint lines, inclement weather, flight delays and other sometimes unavoidable travel headaches.

This year is no different.

Countless travelers took to social media this Christmas to wallow in their untimely flight delays with plenty of sarcasm.

@united 5+ hour mechanical delay at PVD today. This is not how I wanted to spend my Christmas Eve. Sadly, no other flights out today, so we sit and wait...and wait...and wait.

— Sara Ulius-Sabel (@SaraByTheLake) December 24, 2018

My family and I are going to be spending our whole Christmas in the airport now because @AmericanAir changed our flight by 20 minutes, making us miss our connection :(. I hope everyone has a happy and festive day

— Elliott (@ElliottJamesTho) December 25, 2018

Less than 30 minutes prior to boarding and get delayed four hours. I’m so excited to spend Christmas in the airport @SouthwestAir.

— Trish McDish (@trishmcdish) December 25, 2018

Gotta give the biggest s/o to @united for ruining yet another family trip. Thanks for allowing my family to spend Christmas in the airport/alone. How dysfunctional and pathetic can one “company” even be? #MerryChrismas

— Gabbie (@gabbie_capp) December 25, 2018

Travelers also used the platform to complain about the behavior of their fellow holiday globetrotters.

Who do people insist on using the bathroom while the plane is still on the ground? #christmastravel

— Adan Ruiz (@adanruiz) December 25, 2018

Understood that if the seats can recline on the tiny airplane, it implies a right to do so. But if you do recline, it’s also understood -
and not just implied - that you are a total a—hole. #ChristmasTravel

— Patrick Healy (@_WaitWWhat_) December 24, 2018

Why people have not upgraded their luggage to four wheels instead of two is beyond me... #ChristmasTravel

— Britt Dorfman (@brittdorfman) December 25, 2018

Delta Air Lines passengers got an early and unwelcome surprise when their Christmas Eve flight from Beijing to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing on a small Alaskan island due to a potential engine issue.

One of the flight's nearly 200 travelers tweeted about the experience.

I'm still alive! So... we lost one engine, landed on a US air force base in Alaska in the middle of the ocean. Delta sent another plane from Seattle to pick us up, and after waiting for 12 hours we are finally on the flight back what a great story to tell my grandchildren pic.twitter.com/gk9JZDRJ2T

— ShibaRoll (@shibarollben) December 25, 2018

A Washington, D.C.-bound United Airlines flight returned to San Francisco for an emergency landing on Christmas Eve because of an unknown mechanical problem. Fortunately, the issue was resolved and the flight departed only a couple of hours behind schedule.

Meanwhile, in the U.K., 160 guests had to evacuate the Coventry Hill Hotel because of a Christmas Day fire. No major damage was done, however, and guests were eventually allowed to return to their rooms.

There was a major 999 responsehttps://t.co/s21EfRYzOn

— Nuneaton News (@NuneatonNews) December 26, 2018

Rail travelers weren't immune to the stress either.

@AmtrakAlerts Any word on why Train #91 into Winter Haven FL on to West Palm Beach is running behind schedule today (12/25/2018)? #ChristmasTravel

— Rhonda (@L5S1ouch) December 25, 2018

When @SW_Railway have less than an off peak timetable running, you would think you would be charged an off peak ticket. #daylightrobbery #christmastravel

— Jess Hewitt (@Jess13Hewitt) December 24, 2018

While there were plenty of holiday travel woes to go around, some lucky travelers experienced Christmas travel miracles in the form of free upgrades, underpopulated flights and furry passengers.

Thank you @Delta & @AeromexicoUSA for the Christmas upgrade! #skymileslife #christmastravel #MerryChirstmas #businessclass

— Ariana Katz (@arianakatz) December 25, 2018

Flying home on Christmas Eve. And there is a dog wearing a Christmas sweater on my flight. I need it to sit next to me.

— Amy Pond (@amypuddles) December 24, 2018

Christmas Eve gift: a flight with a capacity of 144 but only 55 passengers.

— abri. (@abri_jayy) December 24, 2018

With the current holiday travel period projected to be among the busiest in history and New Year's right around the corner, travelers aren't out of the woods just yet.