By Serena Solomon
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
JFK AIRPORT — New York City travelers have hit a trifecta in travel delay woes — first it was snow, then it was terrorism and on Tuesday it was the wind.
Edson Soares, 20, went to JFK Airport Tuesday morning to pick up his girlfriend with pink roses and a sign that read, "Lorelei, Welcome to New York. I love you!"
But when DNAinfo caught up with him, he had been sitting on the floor at Terminal 2 for more than an hour waiting for her delayed plane to arrive.
"They had frozen plane parts in Chicago," he said."So they are two hours late. I'm just glad it was not cancelled."
Average flights times at Kennedy and LaGuardia Airport were delayed up to 15 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Things were far worse out at Newark Liberty, where delays were reaching three hours.
Wind had backed up traffic at the gates out at Newark up to 2 hours and 15 minutes, the FAA reported, but said those delays were increasing. Arrivals were delayed "an average" of 2 hours and 55 minutes.
Following a thwarted terrorist attack on a flight to Detroit on Christmas Day, the Transportation Security Administration released new guidelines for heightened security measures on flights.
The TSA said passengers traveling into the U.S. should expect more pat-downs and bag searches. Passengers were also expected to have their movements restricted on flights, including getting belongings from overhead bins and going to the restroom during the final hour of a flight.
"They went through each person's handbag. Then each person was frisked," said Alberto Ross, who lives in Mexico City, but was in town visiting his daughter. "They told us when we checked in that was going to happen."
The new restrictions were fine with Ross, he said as he passed through JFK. "Anything for safety is good even if it takes a little longer that way."
