JFK Airport Runways Reopen Following Snow Squall
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Runways at John F. Kennedy Airport were briefly shut down Sunday following a morning snow squall.
The airport was closed to air traffic at 7:35 a.m., the Port Authority said. One runway was reopened around 9 a.m., and another has since been reopened.
The Port Authority said it generally uses only two or three of its four runways, meaning that, as of 10:45 a.m., operations were returning to nearly full capacity.
Travelers, however, were told to expect delays. Monitors inside JFK Airport on Sunday morning showed rescheduled departure times for many flights, while others were listed as canceled.
Peggy Blass, returning from Tel Aviv, Israel, told CBS2's Ilana Gold her connecting flight to Boston wasn't taking off.
"The worst part is trying to find a place to charge your cell phone, you can't find a plug," she said. "(Because so many people are waiting for their flights?) Yes."
Blass was one of hundreds waiting around and getting frustrated.
Billy McMillan needed to get out of town for business.
"(What time was the flight this morning?) 7 a.m.," he said. "(It's almost noon, you're not going anywhere?) Absolutely not."
Passengers said trying to get on another flight out of the airport was also a huge challenge.
"What did they tell you when you got to the ticket counter when you tried to get on another flight?) First I had to stand in line for about an hour," said Larry Nunn, of San Antonio.
And they filled up so fast Nunn had no choice but to rebook to the wrong city.
"I'm getting a direct flight to Austin, but that's not my original destination, I have to drive to San Antonio," he said. (How frustrating is this?) Very frustrating; worst experience I've ever had."
Port Authority officials urged travelers to check their flight status with their carriers.