JACKSONVILLE , Fla. -- Scores of travelers watched in worry as red cancelled signs flashed on the departure list next to their Northeastern flight Sunday.
"Everything to the northeast above Washington DC is cancelled," said traveler, John Spinda.
"Easy in, but not so easy getting out again," said Casey Kelly, trying to get home to Boston after visiting Jacksonville for the Georgia/Florida game.
Airlines tell Action News, good luck getting out to New York, New Jersey, Boston or DC, anytime before Wednesday.
"The challenge is most of these aircraft are flying 90 plus percent full so they're not a whole lot of seats avialable when you have a situation like this," said Michael Stewart, JIA director of external affairs. "We strongly encourage you to bring your patience when you come to the airport along with your baggage."
In a sea of travelers trying to calculate their next move, one local contractor bound for DC tells us he's lucky to catch the final flight up; he's got a job to do.
"If you are a power lineman, they need people as of right now," said contractor, Brian Ziegler. Based out of Jacksonville, Ziegler says DC utility company Pepco recruited him for repairs. He says it could be a week before he returns home to Jacksonville.
"I'm not sure what's going to be waiting for me once I get out there," he said.
Millions of people are expected to lose power from Sandy so Ziegler could be very busy in the next few days. While some travelers stuck in the River City are taking cancellations as a sign that they are better off not returning to the Northeast during the storm, others have gone ahead and rented cars from JIA in hopes to drive home as soon as possible.
