LaGuardia Airport's deadly runway crash causing issues for travelers trying to leave NYC
Travelers are still facing major disruptions at LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday following the deadly collision between a plane that was landing and a fire-rescue vehicle crossing the runway.
The pilot and co-pilot of the Air Canada plane were killed, and 41 people were taken to the hospital. The cause of the collision is under investigation.
A ground stop at LaGuardia was lifted on one of its two runways at 2 p.m., but there were lengthy backups and delays.
"Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and everyone affected," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
What passengers should know
Passengers are urged to check their flight status before heading to the airport, since many flights have been canceled, delayed or diverted.
If your flight has been canceled, don't just show up. Instead, try to rebook online through your airline's app first, because the lines at customer service desks have been long.
Video from inside LaGuardia's Terminal B Monday morning showed stranded passengers camped out on the floor with their luggage. Many were wondering what to do next as they waited for operations to resume. Nearly 600 flights were canceled.
"This has never really happened to me before in all my years of flying, so it's kind of unexpected, kind of new. I got here early today because they didn't let me get on my flight yesterday," one would-be traveler said.
The airport is operating at a reduced capacity as the runway where the accident happened is closed until Friday morning.
Traveler Hannah Mudse said she has spent hundreds on a hotel room and transportation back and forth from the airport because her flight was canceled.
"I'm missing work today because of it. The boys, everybody's tired. We had to wake up at 3 a.m. again to get here," she said.
Flights rerouted to John F. Kennedy International
Some flights were diverted to other airports, such as John F. Kennedy International and Newark Liberty.
CBS News New York's Jenna DeAngelis met several travelers at what was a much calmer JFK Terminal 8 than it was earlier Monday. Still, it was tough for many to navigate rerouted and rebooked flights from LaGuardia.
Derricka Catnott of Atlanta said she left herself plenty of time to get through security at JFK after her morning flight to LaGuardia was canceled.
"Recently, traveling has been really hectic and it's really scary," Catnott said.
Laura Clementi of Connecticut said she woke up for her flight to LaGuardia, only to find the airline rebooked it to JFK. She was among those who had a relatively smooth experience.
"I have bad plane anxiety, so this wasn't a good experience for me," Clementi said.
Tom Nardini of Oklahoma, however, said he had his flight canceled and changed several times.
"It's been a little chaotic," Nardini said.
Long lines a problem at all NYC-area airports
On top of all the rerouting and rebooking, some travelers said they were worried about long Transportation Security Administration lines after seeing footage from the weekend.
Lines were extremely long at LaGuardia on Sunday night. Travelers also faced long lines at JFK on Monday morning. By the afternoon there was some relief, but the waiting for many continued.
"I'm here a lot earlier than I normally would be for that reason," Nardini said.
A TSA staffing shortage prompted by the partial government shutdown prompted the Trump administration to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to help airport security across the country, including at JFK.
"Regardless of where you stand on the aisle, like, people shouldn't be caught up in the middle, left with uncertainty over their jobs and over their livelihoods simply because people can't come to a compromise these days," Nardini said.
JFK warned on social media that wait times may be significantly longer than normal and urged people to allow much more time when heading there.
