Hurricane Sandy: Thousands of flights grounded

Hurricane Sandy grounded thousands of flights in the Northeast US Monday, stranding passengers as far as Europe and Asia trying to get to the US, CBS News reported.

The Los Angeles Times said airlines canceled about 9,500 flights on Monday and Tuesday.

According to the flight tracking site Flightstats.com, many of those flights were for travel into and out of New York, New Jersey and the Philadelphia area. 

American Airlines, United and Delta canceled all flights in and out of New York, as the storm barreled down on the area, CBS said.

Airlines are also preparing for a huge backlog after thousands of flights that were canceled on Sunday in anticipation of the storm. 

The storm could disrupt both air and train travel throughout the Northeast US for at least two days, reports AP. 

AP is reporting that the backlog is having a ripple effect across the US, affecting travelers in cities as far as San Francisco, Chicago and Paris. 

The severe storm is also affecting train service in the region. Amtrak suspended its service across the Northeast and subway systems in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. shut down Sunday night, reports CBS News.

"[Trains are] not intended to be submerged, and we want people to stay at home," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo explained.

Authorities in New York warned that lower Manhattan could get swamped with seawater that could flood subway tunnels and cripple the network of electrical and communications lines that are vital to the nation's financial center, reports CBS. 

Residents of Battery Park were evacuated and the New York Stock Exchange was closed for both Monday and Tuesday.