Hundreds of passengers waited in long lines as traffic congestion worsened at Fort Worth International Airport.

The delays came amid a multi-day operational meltdown at American Airlines, caused by severe weather across the US, combined with staffing shortages and technical system issues.

Footage shows fliers standing in crowded check-in areas and baggage claim zones in Dallas, Texas, on November 20.

Twisting queues of frustrated customers stretched across the terminal with lines winding repeatedly between blue stanchion belts and runs from roughly gates A19 to A24 and beyond.

The disruption led to thousands of cancellations and delays from November 20 to 23, one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.

DFW was among the hardest-hit airports, with rebooking lines often exceeding four to six hours.

One of the passengers said: ‘Today is not the day to work customer service for American Air at DFW and it will only get worse.'