Hurricane Sandy affecting Atlanta air and train travel - WTVM.com-Columbus, GA News Weather & Sports

Hurricane Sandy affecting Atlanta air and train travel

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ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) -

Metro Atlantans are feeling the effects of Hurricane Sandy as the storm has caused travel by air and train to and from the northeast to come to a halt.

Several airlines started canceling flights scheduled out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after 8 p.m. Sunday.

Flights were canceled to cities like New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Norfolk and Baltimore.

Passenger Jason Rodzik was trying to get to Maryland.

"I thought I was fine for a Sunday night flight. Everything was supposed to hit Monday afternoon, really," Rodzik said. He was hoping to squeeze onto an earlier flight.

"I was supposed to be on the 9:45 p.m. flight and that got canceled so I tried to go standby on an earlier flight but unfortunately everyone showed up," Rodzik said.

Airport officials told CBS Atlanta News that most passengers were likely tracking the storm and their flights and not bothering to go to the airport.

Across town, Amtrak passengers were feeling the effects of Sandy as well.

Train service was stopped to the northeast corridor north of New York by 7 p.m. Sunday. By Monday, nearly all service to the eastern seaboard is expected to stop.

Amtrak passenger Thomas Batson got off the train in Atlanta to avoid any hassle in the northeast.

"I would go ahead if they had a train coming back, but then, they were canceling them," said Batson. "I thought I'd better get off while I can. I don't want to be stuck in Washington or New York."

Jay Johnson of Lawrenceville started checking his smart phone app over the weekend to see if his flight to Syracuse, New York was still on. He kept checking it Monday, and it was surprised that it wasn't canceled.

"I am very much surprised," said Johnson. "I was so much hoping that it would be canceled. That way you don't have to be concerned about anything, getting stranded there coming back home."

Eric Tarbenson, a spokesman for Delta Airlines, told CBS Atlanta News that 180 flights in Delta's system were affected by the storm as of Sunday and that more will follow on Monday. He recommends that passengers call ahead to check on flights or go to http://www.delta.com/.

As for Johnson, he's not sure how successful his business trip to Syracuse will be.

"We're doing a trade show, so I imagine attendance will be a little low now since the weather's so bad," said Johnson.

Copyright 2012 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation).  All rights reserved.

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