The closed American Airline terminal at LaGuardia today. (Brigitte Stelzer)
Stranded passengers slept away the hours at LaGuardia today. (Brigitte Stelzer)
Hurricane Sandy turned LaGuardia Airport into strange ghost town today, populated by a handful of employees, unlucky travelers and homeless.
Airline counters, normally busy checking in travelers, were empty and luggage x-ray machines were covered in plastic.
Kim Wells, a 50-year-old nurse from Raleigh, NC, picked the floors of LaGuardia over greedy hotel operators.
“It’s frustrating. And then there are no vouchers or anything [from airlines] because it’s an act of God,” said Wells, traveling with her 17-year-old daughter Sam.
“The hotels are price gouging. Like hotels that were $150 are now $350. So I thought last night we’d stay and get our bearings and today start making phone calls. But now we can’t get out.”
Armed National Guardsman are patrolling airport grounds.
“We feel safe. There are a few homeless around, but that’s OK, I don’t feel unsafe,” Wells said. “They just got here today.”
Stranded travelers said they’re trying to keep their cool in such a frustrating setting.
“I called my husband twice yesterday. He said just take it easy. I usually don’t travel by myself,” said Mary Ryan, 53, from Nova Scotia.
“It makes no sense getting mad. I just hold my cool. I feel a lot better today than yesterday evening.”
Italian visitor Diego Branati, 36, said there are worst places to be stuck than the airport.
Branati believes he’ll be the first to hear about travel news.
“For me it’s better to be here because here we can see the real news and we can check the flights,” he said.
Thousands of flights leaving from, or headed to, the northeast were grounded today because of Hurricane Sandy.
Huge carriers such as American, JetBlue and Delta canceled virtually all flights into and out of New York’s three major airports.
Cancellations had a rippling effect across America and the world.
Travelers such as businessman Alan Shrem, who was trying to return home to Boca Raton, Fla., after attending trade fairs in Hong Kong and China’s Guangzhou, were facing long waits for a new flight.
Shrem said he was “edgy” and “exasperated” after learning his Cathay Pacific flight to JFK was canceled today.
He could be stuck in Hong Kong for nearly a week, because the next available seat was Nov. 4.
“I don’t know what number I am, I could be 300. They don’t even tell you. They just say: Yeah, it’s a pretty big waiting list,” said Shrem, throwing up his hands.
With Post Wire Services and additional reporting by David K. Li