More Than 180 Flights Canceled Due To Sandy At MSP
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Sandy's powerful punch has hit folks in Minnesota, too, at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport where more than a 180 flights have been cancelled this week.
Many travelers are all packed up and ready to go, but just have no way to get there.
"Well, I was holding out hope," said traveler Fred Mueller, who hoped to fly home to Rhode Island on Tuesday afternoon.
Sandy has sent his plans in disarray.
"What are you going to do," Mueller said. "You have no control over it."
In fact, Sandy has forced airlines to cancel more than 16,000 flights nationwide. East Coast Airports have closed, and even those still open are dealing with other weather issues like strong winds.
"There's an awful lot of people displaced who haven't been able to get to their destinations," said Patrick Hogan, Spokesperson for Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport.
Most flights these days are 85 percent booked, which leaves only a small percentage of empty seats, so getting home quickly and easily will be tough.
"A lot of people who hoped to have a direct flight from here to New York might have a sequentious flight trying to get home, cause there just aren't enough empty seats on the aircraft flying for everyone to be accommodated," said Hogan.
Mueller knows that firsthand.
"I should be home by noon time tomorrow, which should be good," he said.
He has to fly through Charlotte back to Providence. He'll get home a day late, but he's not complaining.
"From what it could be, no problem," he said.
He knows full well that his travel interruptions can't compare to the misery East Coast residents are living through.
United Airlines even parked a couple planes at the airport the last few days. It wanted to get them away from the East Coast when Sandy hit.
