Air passengers bound for the Northeast were stranded in San Diego with no alternatives to get home.
Several flights from San Diego to New Jersey, New York and Boston were canceled on Sunday due to Hurricane Irene.
As of Monday morning, the best news for passengers waiting at Lindbergh Field was that several departures will leave on time later this morning.
New York resident Neri Arevalo was scheduled to fly to Newark on Sunday but found out at the airport that there was no way to get home.
"We got canceled until Thursday. And that's the earliest flight that we can take. We tried to go Amtrak, Greyhound, cross-country road trip and it's not happening," she said.
Arevalo tried getting flights to Washington D.C., Philadelphia and even Chicago but to no avail.
Others suffered the same fate. Some said they couldn't get flights home until Friday or even Monday as airlines canceled some 11,000 flights due to Hurricane Irene.
Local
Authorities said New York area airports would reopen on Monday morning. But the backlog of flights meant that those traveling on Sunday would have to wait their turn.
Arevalo contacted her employer who had no problem with the delay.
"They said enjoy it. What are you going to do? I'm alright. I'm not in trouble," she said.
While some passengers at Lindbergh field were clearly upset about the delays, New Yorker Anthony Izzo had a positive attitude.
"It's not that bad at all. I could be in worse places right? As long as it's sunny over here. In New York it's cloudy and raining and who knows what's going on over there," he said.
Izzo had also taken the opportunity to tease his friends about his situation.
"I took pictures hangin' out at the beach and sent them over to them, texting pictures of palm trees," he said.
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