Chicago - Dense fog has disrupted travel plans for several passengers at Chicago's Midway International Airport on Christmas Eve morning. A dense fog advisory has been in effect until 12 p.m., leading to the cancellation of multiple flights.

As of 6:30 a.m., visibility at Midway was reported to be only 0.5 miles. A similar visibility of 0.5 miles was observed at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. In response to the limited visibility, a ground stop was issued at Midway by 7:20 a.m.

A significant number of Southwest Airlines and Frontier flights have been canceled through 9 a.m., affecting the travel plans of many passengers. The foggy conditions first caused disruptions on Saturday evening and Sunday morning when a ground stop was implemented. Although it briefly turned into a ground delay around 11 a.m. on Sunday, less than two hours later, a ground stop was put back into effect.

Southwest Airlines commented on the situation, stating that they are collaborating with affected customers whose travel has been impacted by the fog at Chicago Midway. Inbound aircraft were unable to land due to the poor visibility, resulting in diversions and subsequent flight cancellations. With visibility remaining below operational minimums throughout the night and projected to continue into daybreak, Southwest Airlines has made adjustments to their planned operations on Sunday.

Chicago Midway, which handles over 200 departures a day, making it the fourth busiest airport operation, has experienced a small fraction of flight cancellations due to the fog. Out of a total of 4,242 flights scheduled throughout the network, less than 1% (53 flights) were canceled early on Sunday.

Passengers traveling from Chicago's airports are advised to check their flight status with their respective airlines, as delays and cancellations may continue to occur.

Steven Cosentino, one of the Southwest Airlines passengers affected by the fog-related disruptions, had originally been scheduled to depart Midway at 7:30 a.m. Alongside others whose flights were planned later in the afternoon, these passengers remained hopeful that their trips would not be impacted by the ongoing foggy conditions.