Newlyweds Justin and Amanda Watkins, both 19, were expecting to return home to Medford, Ore., yesterday after a weeklong honeymoon in Hawai'i.

Instead, they expected to spend last night sleeping on their new bodyboards at Honolulu International Airport after their flight was canceled in the aftermath of yesterday's earthquakes.

Thousands of other travelers also faced flight cancellations and delays after the airport was reduced to auxiliary power following the initial quake, which caused an islandwide blackout.

Power was restored using generators about 45 minutes later, but that was little consolation for the Watkinses, who arrived at the airport at 8:30 a.m. for a 12:30 p.m. flight to San Francisco.

They were told by United officials to return to their Waikiki hotel and stay overnight, but that would have required cab fare.

"We used up all our cash last night," Amanda Watkins said. "All we have is credit cards and debit cards."

Lack of planes caused most of the cancellations, since there was uncertainty from Mainland departure points about how functional Honolulu International would be.

For most of the day, it wasn't.

State Department of Transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa said that because the airport was on auxiliary power, security scanning machines were inoperable and carry-ons were being manually checked.

Also, the jetways, which connect the gates to the airplanes, also were inoperable, so passengers had to walk onto the tarmac for boarding and deplaning.

Computers were down at check-in counters, slowing down that process.

Also, only two bathrooms — in the "C" and "D" baggage claim areas, were fully functional because all of the other toilets operate with an electricity-powered automatic flush system.

People were allowed into all bathrooms, but were requested to limit their visits to the "No. 1" option.

Inside the lobbies and on the sidewalks, travelers were reduced to finding whatever comfort they could find in muggy, crowded conditions. Some reclined on the agriculture inspection conveyer belt; others simply lay down on the cement floor.

At Hawaiian Airlines, check-in lines and security checkpoints opened by midday, but by then hundreds of passengers had lined up, many standing in place for hours on the sidewalk outside.

Airport workers passed out paper fans, and Hawaiian Airlines employees distributed fruit drinks normally served on flights.

Some were trying to make the best of the situation. Big cheers went through the Hawaiian Air terminal whenever Richard Hoopi'i and Michael Mina of Maui finished a falsetto harmony accompanied by strums from Ho'opi'i's six-string ukulele. They were on O'ahu for Friday's Aloha Festivals' falsetto contest, in which Mina took second place.

"This (the music) has made it all worthwhile," said Kandi Everett of Honolulu, who was trying to get on a flight to Portland, Ore. "This is like the old days."

Laureen Pope of Vancouver, B.C., was scheduled for a 1:15 p.m. flight home, but after the earthquake, she, her husband and another couple rushed to the airport, arriving at 8:30 a.m. Much to their disappointment, they were stuck at the front of the U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection line, where they remained as of 3:30 p.m. yesterday.

"The (agriculture) guys are great," said Pope, who was in Hawai'i to celebrate her wedding anniversary. "As bad as this is, life is OK because we are here in Hawai'i."

Ishikawa said the airport is expected to be fully functional today, and airlines will attempt to adhere to their regular schedules.

Incoming passengers faced similar frustrations.

Just as Liana and Michael Soong were touching down on their flight from Nashville, Tenn., to San Francisco, the flight attendant announced there had been a major earthquake in Hawai'i.

Liana rushed to call Hilo, where her two sons, Trent, 6, and Tate, 7, were staying with her former mother-in-law, Toyoko Ishizu. She learned that the boys had had a terrifying experience.

As the house shook around them, "they were huddling in the corner of the bedroom, screaming," Soong related.

"Their father had to pull them off the bed because it looked like the ceiling fan was going to fall."

"It was strong," she said. "My mother-in-law said things were falling off the shelves all around them."

As Honolulu's Irene Dang sat in the San Francisco Airport, she was happy to board a Kaua'i flight just to get as close to home as possible, she said.

Her Honolulu flight had been canceled, but she was able to get seats for herself and a friend on the Kaua'i flight, she said.

Her friend, Kela Yasukawa, said he was worried about his Big Island relatives but couldn't reach them. So the coconut wireless, Mainland style, went into action.

"I talked to my auntie in Texas, and she was able to get through and said they were OK," Yasukawa said.

"They know how to take care."

For some, like newlyweds Jeri and James McGintey from Dallas, a honeymoon in Hawa'i will still have to be just a dream. Though their flight was halfway to Maui yesterday morning, it was turned around and sent back to San Francisco.

"We're going to the wine country instead," she said.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.