Passengers whose flights have been canceled are filming 'chaos' at Vancouver airport as they experience mass delays: 'Will I make it home for Christmas?'

• A "rare, major snowfall" has caused major cancellations at Vancouver International Airport.
• TikToks showing rows of luggage and planes sitting in the snow have hundreds of thousands of views.

TikTokers are sharing videos of the chaos unfolding at Vancouver International Airport, as snowy weather conditions have caused delays and flight cancellations over the holidays.

A "rare, major snowfall" that started Monday and continued into Tuesday across British Columbia, Canada, has grounded flights at the airport, referred to as YVR, and led to "mass cancellations" during the airport's busiest week of the year, CBC news reported.

A video posted to TikTok on December 20 appeared to show a member of staff at YVR informing passengers, "If you have a flight departing today we will not help you anymore." In the video, which has since received over 2.9 million views, the person could be seen telling the crowd, "We have flights departing today that we do not have enough staffing to check in those people. If you have a home to go to, please go home. If you do not, the airport is safe."

Another TikTok that was posted the same day appeared to show the exterior of an airport, with stationary planes sitting on snow-covered ground. The caption of the video, which has been viewed over 366,000 times said, "The reason why your flight is canceled at YVR."

One TikToker posted two videos that they said showed their attempts to take a flight from YVR. The first upload, which received over 13,000 views, showed them boarding busy public transport and pulling their suitcase through the snow. The caption of the video said, "4am adventures to Vancouver airport and straight back home. More flights delayed and canceled."

During their second video, in which they "head to the Vancouver airport again," they appeared to have made it to their flight "which isn't even full" after further delays, but it's unclear if the plane took off. "Will I make it home for christmas?" the caption of the video said.

A TikTok user who goes by @tianacwong posted a video showing the baggage carousel and piles of suitcases on the ground, with the on-screen captions that read, "The Vancouver airport is absolute chaos," and "5 hours later and still no bags from our flight."

The video received over 1.3 million views. "If you're flying to YVR, maybe rethink checking in a bag. We landed at 11pm and by 4am we still hadn't seen our bags," the caption of the TikTok said.

Vancouver Airport Authority told Insider in a written statement, "As a result of delays and cancellations following the snowstorm earlier this week, a significant number of aircraft remain at YVR, which has led to congestion on our airfield. To help depart aircraft from the airport and get crews and passengers safely on their way, we will be temporarily limiting arriving international flights for approximately 48 hours, effective Wednesday, December 21 at 7:00 a.m."

They added, "We appreciate everyone's patience and understanding as we work to get aircraft, crews, and passengers safely on their way this holiday season."

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