Stranded LaGuardia Passengers Take Delays, Cancellations In Stride
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Thursday's incident in which an airplane skidded off a runway left LaGuardia Airport closed to air traffic for a time -- as well as flights delayed and canceled.
The main terminal at LaGuardia was a ghost town Thursday afternoon, CBS2's Matt Kozar reported.
PHOTOS: Plane Skids Off LaGuardia Runway
The flight status board was filled with cancellations. Most travelers left the airport for the night, and those toughing it out were too tired to be angry.
"I was on the plane, and we were only a few minutes away from taking off," Abrahim Elsaghir said. "And then they make an announcement that a plane skipped and we're shutting down the airport."
University of Michigan student Brianna Vandervoort was trying to get back home after an interview at NYU College of Dentistry.
"I'm here for the night until tomorrow morning," she said, adding that she hadn't yet figured out whether she would sleep at the airport.
"Everyone is getting angry at people, but there's nothing you can do about the weather," Vandervoort said.
Stranded travelers said they were just pleased none of the passengers on Delta Flight 1086 were seriously hurt. Twenty-eight people suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Canadian Matt Gerlewych might win the weary traveler award. He said he was stranded in Paris because his plane had mechanical issues. Now he is stranded in New York.
"Trying to get home," he said. "It's been over 60 hours."
But even he is trying to stay positive.
"At the end of the day, it's probably going to work out better for me to do it that way ... instead of being an irate customer," Gerlewych said.
While one of the runways was reopened Thursday afternoon, the Port Authority said travelers with flights scheduled to arrive and depart from LaGuardia should still check with their carriers to determine the status of their flights.