NEWARK, NJ — Weather grounded the plans of many air travelers Tuesday.
Numerous flights have been delayed or cancelled.
The airport most affected by the storm this week is none other than Newark Liberty. About 30% of flights were canceled and another 30% were delayed.
READ MORE: The storms are causing delays and cancellations at airports in the tri-state area
Inside Terminal B, there was one story of misery after another.
“Terrible. I’m so sad. I work seven days a week. I want to be at the beach,” said Rosie Detoma of Long Island.
“They canceled the 2 o’clock flight. They put us on the 6 o’clock flight, they canceled the 6 o’clock flight and now we can’t leave until Friday,” said Steve Roppoli of Mississippi.
Check your flight status
CBS New York found travelers without a sky seat looking at tables, chairs and even luggage carts as they prepared to spend another night in whatever nook and cranny they could find.
“We slept a little bit of everything. This is the most comfortable place I’ve slept all night. I slept on the floor. I tried to sleep on the terrible chairs, the carpet. Actually, I didn’t care for carpet,” said Omid Haghnegahdar from Los Angeles.
Brothers Omid and Kian were trying to get back to the west coast. While they understand the severe weather since Sunday caused hundreds of delays and cancellations in the tri-state area alone, they said the decision-making by airlines has been somewhat perplexing.
“Our brother, actually, his departure was for today. We were supposed to leave yesterday. He ended up leaving before us,” said Kian Haghnegahdar.
Drew Caneza said he’s willing to drive the 16 hours home to Orlando, Fla., or even take the 23-hour train. But at Newark Airport, both options are sold out.
“I have two kids at home, so I have to go home to them, I have to go back to my job, if I haven’t been fired yet,” Caneza said.
His flight was canceled and the next available option is not until Thursday. The airline, he said, is not helping to find or pay for a place to stay.
“The extra expense of a hotel room, another flight, all those things, I mean, it adds up,” Caneza said.
While travelers are destroying airlines, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is blaming the problems on the Federal Aviation Administration.
In an email to employees, Kirby wrote: “I am … frustrated that the FAA has frankly failed us … As you know, the weather we saw at EWR is something that the FAA has historically been able to manage without serious impact on our operations and customers.”
The FAA responded with a statement that read “We will always work with anyone who is seriously willing to join us in solving a problem.”
Bill McGee is the senior aviation fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project. He says none of the airlines are in a position to point fingers.
“You’re more protected on an American airline in, say, Brussels or Paris than you are in Atlanta or Dallas. Think of the irony of that,” McGee said.
That’s because, he says, most other countries have an air passenger bill of rights.
“If there’s a delay, you get a meal. If there’s a cancellation, you get a hotel and there’s no discussion. They’re ordered to do that by the government,” McGee said.
Presentation by Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal similar legislation earlier this year.
“Better protection against these unnecessary cancellations and delays,” Blumenthal said.
He said he thinks if it doesn’t happen, there will be many more days like this at the airport.
“The airline lobby has a lot of influence in our nation’s capital, but we have a lot of people on our side and the longer they’re waiting at the gates right now to take off, the angrier they’re going to be.” Blumenthal said.
The Port Authority advises travelers to check their flight status with their airline before heading to the airport, but that advice doesn’t help those on connecting flights, like Liz Gillatt, who said she already he has missed three days from his Tokyo. holidays
“First, something broke. Then we got on another plane. Then it started raining. Then we got off and it got canceled,” said Gillatt, from Washington, DC.
The misery seems far from over. With more rain expected in the coming days, possibly extending into the weekend, many of these travelers may not be flying out until Friday.
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