Wednesday update: Very limited airport service is expected this morning and airport officials said they are unsure when they'll be at full service. They recommend you check your flight status before leaving for the airport.
ALBANY, N.Y. — Travel in the Capital Region may have been very bad on the roads, but it was totally impossible in the air Tuesday. Albany International Airport was devoid of passengers from the mid-morning hours onward.
The last flight to attempt departure was a 6 a.m. Delta Airlines plane bound for Minneapolis. According to passengers, they boarded the plane and sat for two hours, until Delta cancelled the flight and cleared them off the plane.
All other inbound and outbound flights were cancelled, due to the snowy weather.
"I was hoping to go through Minneapolis, avoid the weather and then head down to Orlando," said Tom Huerter, whose son Kevin is playing for the University of Maryland in the NCAA men's basketball tournament in Florida starting Thursday. After his flight cancellation, Huerter was trying to re-route to Plattsburgh, or drive to another airport offering flights to Florida.
"It's a matter of making sure I get there on Wednesday, and not stressing out, and not getting there the day of the game," said Huerter.
At the airport, experienced airport runway crews struggled to keep the runways clear for potential emergency landings.
"We've probably got 30 or 35 pieces of equipment operating around the airport," said airport spokesman Doug Myers. "There are many flights over Albany. Boston is operating, and if there's a medical emergency and they have to get down quickly, they'll come into Albany."
Flights out of Albany International are expected to resume on Wednesday, with most outbound flights already sold out.