New Jersey travel update: Air, bus, rail and light line

• Sandy's death grip on travel in South Jersey is expected to ease today
• All airlines at Philadelphia International Airport are scheduled to operate under normal schedules
• All NJ Transit services, including bus, rail and light line, will remain suspended

Sandy's death grip on travel in South Jersey is expected to ease today as roads are cleared and airlines and some regional rail service resume normal schedules.

However, due to the "devastating effect" of the superstorm, all NJ Transit services, including bus, rail and light line, will remain suspended today, according to the agency's website. The agency had not released a time frame as to when service could resume as of Tuesday evening.

Gov. Chris Christie's office on Monday indicated the service would not return until it is "repaired, safe and secure."

After two days of canceled flights, all airlines at Philadelphia International Airport are scheduled to operate under normal schedules today. Grounded since early Monday morning as Sandy began its squeeze on the region, the PATCO Hi-Speedline between Lindenwold and Philadelphia restarted operations Monday evening and will continue today — although at reduced speeds.

Consequently, trips between the line's east and west terminals should take 37 minutes, about 11 minutes longer than usual.

With six empty baggage carousels spinning desolately before her, 69-year-old Teresa Vitullo didn't mind that her sister from South Philadelphia was late in picking her up from the airport on Monday afternoon.

Vitullo, like others lucky enough to catch one of the few flights in or out of the airport on Tuesday, was simply grateful to have flown at all.

Flying from Argentina via Atlanta to visit her sister in Philadelphia, Vitullo said she was well aware her travel plans might be delayed.

"We had been following the news for two days," Vitullo said, one of just a handful of passengers in the otherwise ghost-like arrival wing of the airport.

Vitullo said she was quickly informed her flight to Philadelphia had been canceled when she arrived in Atlanta early Tuesday morning. Expecting to spend the night in the airport, Vitullo was surprised when staff there found her a spot on a Delta flight.

"Very lucky," Vitullo said.

Airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica said 90 percent of flights remained canceled on Tuesday. Only Delta Air Lines operated national flights to or from the airport.

Picking up their bags Tuesday afternoon, friends Allison Deitz, Maura Hayden and Katelyn Maher were delayed one day in Nashville, Tenn., because of Sandy and were surprised it wasn't longer.

"We didn't think we would get here today," said Deitz of Manayunk.

Deitz said the trio, all 26, kept a close eye on the storm while in Nashville for the weekend and used the extra day for more sightseeing.

"We saw everything that was going on down at the shore," Deitz said.

In the normally bustling arrival wing of the airport, Blake Stehr and three colleagues were among just a few passengers hoping by chance to catch a flight.

Stehr said he and the others were supposed to fly out at 6 a.m. for a business trip to Orlando. They knew in advance their Southwest Airlines flight was canceled but made to the trip to the airport Tuesday evening on the off chance of finding regular service had resumed.

"It was worth a shot," Stehr said.

But with the dark ticket windows offering little help, Stehr said conversation had turned from whether to prepare to spend the night in the airport or to try again in the morning.