Weather continues to create travel headaches in South Florida

As nasty weather persisted Tuesday from Texas through the Midwest, thousands of passengers leaving and arriving in South Florida were hit with travel delays.

About 4,000 flights across the U.S. were delayed as of Tuesday afternoon, according to live flight-tracking website Flight Aware. About 1,300 flights were canceled — almost 2,000 fewer than on Monday.

Snow, wind and rain wreaked havoc on travelers’ plans in hubs including Chicago, Dallas/Forth Worth, Boston and the New York area. In Miami, the delays weren’t nearly as troublesome but still affected thousands.

“The current Midwest flight delays and cancellations are consistent with what we’ve experienced with past snow days in the Northeast,” said Suzy Trutie, spokeswoman for Miami International Airport.

The past few days have seen severe weather hit regions from Dallas through Chicago and up through the Northeast, with at least 11 dead from strong tornadoes in Texas and 18 dead amid flooding in the Midwest.

American Airlines, which has a major hub in Miami and is headquartered in Fort Worth, reported 13 canceled flights out of Miami and three out of Fort Lauderdale.

Ross Feinstein, a spokesperson for the airline, said the company has tried to limit passengers’ frustrations amid delays and cancellations by setting up an automated system where a company agent returns calls to customers instead of making them wait on hold.

“What upsets a lot of passengers is being on hold to speak with an agent,” Feinstein said.

Delays and canceled flights can create a ripple effect that can leave travelers frustrated. In the context of a notably busy holiday season for Miami International — more than 140,000 passengers a day this past weekend, including a record-setting 155,620 passengers Dec. 19 — the issues have been relatively minor compared to other hubs in the midst of the storms.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story was originally published December 29, 2015 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Weather continues to create travel headaches in South Florida."