Wednesday's storm created headaches for air travelers, as about 2,000 flights were grounded at the three major area airports.

Tens of thousands of passengers were stranded as more than half the flights into and out of Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark were canceled.

Airport officials say crews had an increasingly hard time clearing runways and de-icing planes.

Airlines tried to rebook as many customers as possible, but many had nowhere to go.

"There was some encouragement earlier that there might be something else early in the morning, and instead of trying to wrestle with hotels and everything else, I think I’m going to just hang out here," said one commuter.

"We’re stuck here, trying to get back to Detroit. We don’t get any vouchers for food, for baggage, for a hotel, and I think the cheapest we found is $230 a night," said another.

The airports are expected to be jammed Thursday, and airlines are encouraging people to call ahead.