Winter Storm Throws Wrench In Plans Of Many Airport Travelers
ROMULUS (WWJ) -- Cancellations dotted the departure and arrival boards at Metro Airport on Monday as a result of the developing snowstorm which engulfed the east coast.
Among those travelers who were stranded in Detroit was David Greer. Greer was on his way from Seattle to a business meeting in Portland, Maine when he ended up with an unexpected extended stay in Metro Detroit.
"I found out in-flight that our meeting was cancelled because of the weather," Greer said. "I wish I would have known one hour earlier, then I would have stayed in Seattle."
Greer says he is headed back to Seattle as soon as he can get tickets. Nationally, more than 5,000 flights have been canceled due to the blizzard, which is expected to drop one to three feet of snow along coastal areas of the Northeast.
Don Shank of Bloomfield Hills arrived on the last flight out of Newark, New Jersey to Detroit.
"If we'd have been on a later flight, we would still be sitting there looking for a hotel room," Shank said. "They're in a near state of panic in New Jersey and New York right now. You can't buy anything in a store, all of the schools are being closed for tomorrow."
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Barb Young sat at Metro Airport having just landed from LaGuardia Airport in New York and said that people in Manhattan have been stocking up on supplies in advance of the storm.
"We took our daughter to the grocery store and there was a block-long line of people waiting to get in to go buy groceries," Young said.
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As a result of the weather, United -- along with other airlines -- has already begun allowing travelers to re-book their flights scheduled for later in the week.