erol barnett has more from reagan national airport outside of washington, d.c. >> it's an emotional balancing act so many people are experiencing right now. on one hand, they are desperate to reconnect with friends and head out to a big about event, but on the other hand the pandemic is raging again. we spoke with two women who struggled with what to do. >> it was really kind of heartbreaking to not be able to finally go. >> reporter: on wednesday, she was expecting to see her friends in san diego for the first time in a long time. >> it's been basically two years now since ithem. >> reporter: kim huff outside denver has been waiting longer. planning to meet her friends at dragon con in atlanta next month. >> when it got to the point of the rates skyrocketing in the last week or so, i thought no, i'm sorry. there's no level of logistics that will make me feel okay if i bring this back with me. >> reporter: both cancelled their long awaited trips due to the spread of the delta variant. the highly transmissable strain of covid accounting for most cases that soared over the past few month ons. >