HONOLULU -- They started arriving at the departure area of Honolulu Airport before 5 a.m.

But it didn't matter. If you were one of the thousands of Japanese visitors desperately trying to leave Honolulu on Saturday, you were probably waiting for three, maybe four hours. And sometimes, even that didn't work.

"They look so dissatisfied," Lloyd Fuji of JTB Tours said. "They were supposed to go home today and they find out at the last minute they can't go home."

Some 10,000 Japanese visitors are believed to have been stranded in Hawaii because of Tuesday's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Airport workers told KITV4 News that the lines were the longest that they've ever seen.

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Japanese Visitors See Massive Delays

But while the departure area was filled with people, the arrival area was rather empty. According to Japan Air Lines, its 11 arriving flights in Honolulu on Saturday carried only 700 passengers, less than 70 per flight.

"I think people are just plain scared to fly," Japan Air Lines spokesman Gilbert Kimura said.

Kimura said that the airline will continue to fly its full schedule until all stranded passengers are home.

"This will take probably another 2-3 days to accomplish this," he said. "From then on, if the passenger count is really low, we're going to start ... cancellation of flights."

Overseas air carriers that serve Hawaii are slowly returning to normal service.

According to the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, all airlines except for Philippine Airlines are flying on at least a partial schedule. Major mainland carriers such as American, United, Northwest and Delta said that they have resumed all scheduled flights to and from Honolulu.

Click here for informational phone numbers for all airlines that serve Honolulu.

According to the state Department of Transportation, 76 overseas planes were scheduled to arrive in Honolulu on Saturday, while 71 were scheduled to depart.

Honolulu police, state sheriffs, national guard troops and private security guards have been posted throughout Honolulu Airport. As part of the stepped-up security, curbside check-in has been eliminated, only passengers will be allowed into boarding areas and cars entering parking garages will be searched.

In addition, scanning machines have been added at check-in counters and identifications are being re-checked at security areas, causing long lines. All passengers will be required to check-in in the terminal, including those with electronic tickets. All gate check-in has been discontinued by order of the FAA.

However, the state has resumed normal traffic patterns at Honolulu Airport.

Officials urge all passengers to call their airlines directly before heading to the airport. They are also urged to check in for flights at least three hours before overseas flights, 90 minutes prior to interisland flights.

An FAA spokeswoman indicated that the department's Air Marshal program has taken affect. That program places an armed U.S. Marshal on board certain flights.

Stay with KITV4 News and TheHawaiiChannel.com for the latest information.