Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- If you had travel plans to the Northeast, you might not make it far.

"You're probably going to have to be a little patient because a lot of people are contacting the airlines," said Lynne Douglas with Columbia Metro.

Instead of flying high, most travelers and grounded tying up phone lines. Columbia Metro has already stopped many Delta, US Airways and United flights.

"As of today all of our flights into the Washington, D.C. area to include Reagan National and the Washington Dulles airports, all of those departures have been canceled out of Columbia," Douglas said. "Also our non-stops to the New York LaGuardia airport and also into Philadelphia have been canceled for today because of the storm."

But people traveling today might not be the only ones affected.

"If you are planning travel later this week, even Tuesday or Wednesday, contact your airline and find out what their travel plans are. Some airlines may be canceling flights ahead of time," Douglas said.

Airline websites and phone apps will keep travelers up to date on flight cancellations, but some airlines may contact you. Sallie Rediske received an unexpected call from Delta about her travel plans.

"We were scheduled to fly from Atlanta to LaGuardia and then on to Alaska. And they canceled our flight and scheduled us on to a flight from Atlanta to Minneapolis," Rediske said. "And we were lucky that they bumped us to first class."

Rediske has a longer layover in Atlanta, but knows it could've been worse to be stuck without a flight at all.

"It's nice to have it work out this way," she said.

Currently, Columbia Metro has seven plans parked on the tarmac that have been displaced by Hurricane Sandy.