Travellers feeling apprehension during busiest day at Edmonton airport

What's usually considered the busiest travel day of the year has been a little more quiet in Edmonton as hundreds of flights have been cancelled across the country.

Edmonton's airport expected more than 11,000 travellers on Friday, more than double the average. However, more than 25 flights were cancelled by 10 a.m., with others expected later.

Storms in B.C., Ontario and Quebec forced WestJet to proactively cancel close to 250 flights ahead of the holidays — a decision that will impact YEG Edmonton International Airport and its travellers.

"We can take the planes. We're open. We just need the planes here," YEG EIA's Steve Maybee told CTV News Edmonton Friday morning.

"If a plane was supposed to start out of Vancouver this morning destined for Edmonton, well, that plane is still in Vancouver and it's cancelled out of Vancouver, so there's no plane here to pick up the passengers that maybe were going to Toronto and then that flight is cancelled. Wherever that plane was going next, that leg is cancelled as well, so it's a domino effect."

Maybee said operations were running smoothly on Friday, but asked travellers to be patient and arrive with plenty of time.

A few travellers CTV News spoke with said they checked their flight status several times before they went to the airport.

"Just as I was putting my bags away I could see so many frustrated people in line whose flights have been cancelled," Jenny, who's headed to Cancun with her family, said. "So we're feeling really blessed, really lucky to be able to get on our flight today…it's showing on time right now."

A traveller named Robert who's scheduled to travel to Kelowna said he's resigned to the fact he'll face delays. And Mike, also headed to Kelowna, told CTV News he felt "a little apprehensive," but thinks it'll be OK.

To check the status of departing flights, click here.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jessica Robb