Travelers spend night at Newark airport as delays, cancellations stretch into another day

NEWARK, NJ — Major disruptions continue for a third day at airports across the Tri-State area.

CBS2’s John Dias spoke with travelers at Newark Liberty International Airport, where crowds and long lines were already growing early Tuesday morning. By noon in Newark, 567 flights had been canceled in the past 24 hours and 63 flights were delayed on Tuesday alone, according to Flightaware.

That’s what the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said Monday̵[ads1]7;s weather compounded Sunday’s delays, creates a domino effect for flyers. Officials warn that this could be just the beginning, as they predict more will come in the next few days.

Many spent the night at the airport, sleeping in waiting rooms or on the hard floor. They say the hotels in the area are fully booked.

CBS2’s John Dias spoke with a Long Island woman who was lucky and managed to get on a flight Tuesday, but already missed a full day of her vacation.

“Terrible. I’m so sad. I work seven days a week, I want to be on a beach,” she said. “We were going straight to Orlando. Now we’re going to North Carolina and then to Orlando… And they’re not giving coupons for anything, because it’s weather-related.”

Another woman said her flight was canceled after waiting for hours on the tarmac. Now she and her family cannot fly out until Friday, but cannot check into the hotel until Tuesday afternoon.

“I’m really pissed off, I’m hungry, I’m tired. I never in a million years thought — I’ve traveled all over the world for the last 40 years, I’ve never slept on an airport floor. But today could be day,” she said.

The Port Authority advises all travelers to plan and check the status of their flight with the airline before going to the airport. At last check, LaGuardia and JFK also reported more than 100 cancellations each.

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