KENNER, La. — Tropical Storm Olga came and went but left plenty of baggage behind -namely, a dark, hot and stagnant Armstrong International Airport.
"It's been a little crazy. lines are long," said Paula Hennessey, a traveler stuck in the airport.
Thousands of vacationers trying to get home and New Orleanians traveling the world were stuck.
"I walked in and it was pitch black inside," said David Moses
The stranded fliers had few options for getting out of the dark airport.
"What do you do?," asked Karen Hipple. "You can't get cabs. You can't get transportation. It's just chaos."
With no electricity, dozens of flights were delayed or canceled.
The entire airport came to a standstill for hours.
"I walked in, it was like Armageddon," said Daniella Pap. "You know, all the lights were out. There were people sleeping on the floor, people running around asking questions no one knew the answers to."
Power kicked back on around 10 a.m., but less than two hours later failed a second time. Long lines for check-in and rebooking came to a halt.
< SOT // PAULA HENNESSEY / TRAVELER >
"We've been planning since august of last year," Hennessey said. "We have a crew of about nine cousins of friends. we're going to Europe."
They tried to keep their composure despite the repeated setbacks.
"I feel like waiting in this line, I'll be just in time to catch the later flight, which is at 5," Moses said.
Still, somehow, New Orleans kept its Big Easy attitude all morning long.
"People were making friends in the line, you know, just laughing about the circumstances and craziness," said Pap. "I feel like that's the spirit here, in New Orleans. Like everyone just makes a hilarious situation out of a really bad one."
Even the Hammonds, in danger of missing their cruise in Portugal, were feeling positive.
"We've met some wonderful people, they've been very patient," said Abner Hammond. "We have optimism! Cause we've been through this before."
Still, with flights canceled through almost midnight, travelers were set up for a long day -- and maybe an extended stay in New Orleans.