Weather causes delays for pre-Christmas fliers

Dense fog that hampered visibility on local runways and assorted weather problems throughout the Midwest contributed to "minor" pre-Christmas holiday delays for inbound and outbound flights at Philadelphia International Airport yesterday, spokeswoman Phyllis Van Istenal said.

Throughout the day, departure delays averaged about one hour; arrival delays averaged about 30 minutes, she said, with no significant delays at security checkpoints.

Because Christmas falls on a Tuesday, travel began picking up Thursday has been spread out over several days, she said, "so we are not seeing such large lines."

- Michael Matza