US: Desperate travellers crowd Puerto Rico airport in hopes of seat out

Hundreds of stranded tourists and Puerto Ricans seeking to leave filled the sweltering halls of San Juan International Airport on Monday anxious for a seat on one of the few flights operating after Hurricane Maria devastated power and communications across the island. Fearful of checking out of hotels in case they could not get on the few flights available, worried visitors waited in long lines at Puerto Rico’s main airport, struggling to reach loved ones and airlines by phone. “Everything is hearsay at the moment because there is no communication,” said 31-year-old Rene Kessler, a medical student from Baltimore, Maryland. A microcosm of the storm-battered island, San Juan airport is a top priority in efforts by Puerto Rico’s cash-strapped government to rebuild after Maria. Experts say the work will take months and likely cost tens of billions of dollars. The screens above American Airlines’ desks were dark, while JetBlue’s displays flowed with red rows of cancellations. Staff called out the names of passengers who won seats on the few departing planes. Carriers said downed infrastructure had caused operations to be scaled back sharply. In some cases, airlines used a nearby hospital to print flight manifests. And some customers were given handwritten boarding passes. Airlines on Sunday were restricted to one or two flights a day, and TSA workers manually inspected bags and patted down passengers.<br/>