Hong Kong grounds all flights as protest paralyzes airport: Live updates - CNN

A line for the bus at the airport. Ben Westcott/CNN Ben Westcott/CNN

Ben, a British expat who landed in Hong Kong at 4.20 p.m. on a Cathay Pacific flight from Cebu in the Philippines, said airport staff gave no warning of the chaos awaiting travelers trying to leave the airport.

"It was wall-to-wall people chanting, 'Don't trust HK police' and providing maps of MTR stations that had been attacked in the last couple of days, and where people had been beaten up by the police," he said.

Once through customs, Ben said it took him an hour to battle through the arrivals hall. "Normally, it takes 10 minutes," he said.

Travelers stranded at the airport: The taxi stand was shut and Ben couldn't get on the Airport Express train, leaving him with few options to leave the airport.

"If you're waiting for that train, you're going to have to wait for an hour-plus, if not more," he said, describing a huge crowd waiting to catch the train, which takes 25 minutes to reach the city center.

"We weren't given any advice (after landing)," he said. "I'd seen on various WhatsApp groups what was going on, but there was nothing from airport staff warning what we were going to face."

In the end, Ben left the airport terminal and walked up to the highway until he saw a taxi that dropped someone off.

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