Travel is disrupted in the weeks leading up to Christmas Day for a variety of reasons, including bad weather and labour unrest.
When an Aer Lingus flight had to make an emergency landing at JFK International Airport in New York because of a “technical issue,” Irish passengers were among those impacted.
The flight was heading for Dublin.
The airline claimed that it was striving to find new accommodations for every passenger and “ensure all customers depart New York by the evening of December 25th.”
Authorities are also blaming the enormous, violent winter storm that has swept much of the US for at least 17 deaths.
The storm, which has continued to envelop parts of the US, brought with it life-threatening cold, flooding, blinding blizzards, and freezing rain, which caused havoc for Americans travelling for the Christmas holiday.
There were numerous aircraft cancellations as a result of broken power lines, mounds of dead cars on the road, and downed power lines.
In the UK, rail passengers faced delays as they rushed to get the last trains before Christmas Eve services came to a halt while Britain’s roads were braced for extra traffic as a consequence of train staff strikes.
People embarking on festive getaways or heading home for the holidays gathered on the concourses of major stations including Euston in London and Birmingham New Street.
A walkout by thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Network Rail means trains were due to stop running early, and some routes had no services all day.
Trains in Scotland have stopped running until after Christmas as the latest round of railway workers’ industrial action gets under way.
ScotRail issued a warning that no trains will operate north of the border on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, with service likely to return on December 27.
RMT union members are on strike as part of a protracted pay dispute.