For many like them, taking a five-hour drive to Bangalore and flying out from there is the only option to get out of Chennai.
Young techies Nikhil and Harsheet were among the first ones to fly out of Chennai on Sunday after the city's airport resumed operations following a four-day closure due to a waterlogged runway.
After their rented accommodation in Thoraipakkam was inundated due to the heavy rains in the city, Nikhil and Harsheet decided to return to their hometown in Delhi.
Describing the challenges in Chennai, Nikhil said, "There was water everywhere. No food, no drinking water, no internet, no phone, I can't take this. I'm leaving Chennai for a while," to which Harsheet added, that he was happy to "finally move out of Chennai".
But it was a token resumption on day one as no flights took off in the night and international operations were not resumed either. Just four Air India flights took off while other airlines chose to wait for the situation to improve further.
The Bilals from Kashmir were disappointed. Their airline had sent them a message confirming that their flight was on schedule, but it was cancelled later. "They are not saying when the flight would take off. No information is making it very difficult for us," said Mrs Bilal.
Bhuvani's family stranded in Chennai is facing similar difficulties. Her family has to urgently return to Dubai. They have been desperately hopping from one International airline to another with repeated inquiries, but to no avail.
For many like them, taking a five-hour drive to Bangalore and flying out from there is the only option to get out of Chennai. Explaining her situation, Bhuvani said, "Going to Bangalore in a car is a big additional expense. Why can't airlines resume operations on day one?"
The floods damaged the airport's radar and navigation systems and it is using Air Force radar.
But the Airports Authorities of India officials have confirmed that it will resume 24-hour operations from today morning, both domestic and international.
The Southern railways restored partial services bringing relief to commuters. But with the Meteorological department's forecast of more rains, returning to normalcy would be difficult.