The winter storm forced the cancellation of more than 6,100 flights nationwide Tuesday, inconveniencing hundreds of thousands of passengers. About half of those flights involved LaGuardia, Kennedy, or Newark airports. NY1's Angi Gonzalez reports from LaGuardia.
As the snow and ice fell Tuesday, passengers trickled into LaGuardia Airport despite advisories they stay away.
Some simply came looking for answers. "The airline didn't get in touch with us," one traveler said. "We had to come find out what was happening."
The Port Authority put the number of cancelled flights at the region's three major airports at around 3,000 across the day.
Some people stuck around for hours, hoping against hope that a flight would take off for their destination.
"This is my spring break, and I'm so sad," one passenger said. "It's not happening, because of the weather."
Compared to a typical day, LaGuardia was a virtual ghost town Tuesday. Even the gates to the security check point were shuttered.
There wasn't much more than the bare essentials at the waiting area for passengers. Most shops and restaurants were closed, with the exception of a news stand and café.
"At first when I woke up, I was wondering if we would be open," one restaurant employee said.
Airport staff were also on the job, working to clear more than seven inches of snow that fell at LaGuardia, trying to get planes back in sky as soon as possible.
But there are concerns at LaGuardia about Wednesday.
The combination of flights resuming and massive construction work has officials worried about crippling crowds.
They say only travelers with confirmed reservations should come to the airport.