New York Airports Open; American Expects 'Quick Recovery'

NEW YORK -- (TheStreet) -- This time, airlines apparently will be able to restart New York operations fairly quickly.

"Things are looking positive for a quick recovery," said American (AAMRQ.PK) spokesman Kent Powell. The New York Port Authority said Thursday morning that LaGuardia, Newark, Kennedy and Stewart airports were all open, but travelers should contact their airlines before departing for the airports. AirTrain JFK and AirTrain Newark are operating normally, the port authority said.

American said expects to resume operations Thursday morning in Philadelphia and at all New York-area airports, although some flights will be cancelled. "JFK has some departures around 8 a.m. but for the most part, start-ups are between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. with more operations as the day goes on," Powell said.

American cancelled 380 flights due to the storm, including 319 on Wednesday and 61 on Thursday. "There could be a handful" of additional cancellations Thursday, Powell said. The carrier halted flying at noon Wednesday in Philadelphia and at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the New York airports.

United (UAL), meanwhile, said it would suspend most New York area service until noon Thursday. "Weather conditions will likely cause additional delays and cancellations at other northeast airports," the carrier said.

Airlines cancelled 1,593 Northeast flights on Wednesday and 255 on Thursday, according to FlightStats.com. Most cancellations were in the New York area. Last week, airlines cancelled about 21,000 flights for Hurricane Sandy. The restoration of service following the storm was slowed by airport flooding, mass transit shutdowns and power outages.

US Airways (LCC) cancelled 249 flights on Wednesday and 34 flights for Thursday. Delta (DAL) and JetBlue (JBLU) cancelled select flights at various New York airports.

In general, carriers are expected to be at or near full schedules later Thursday. However, in most cases, change fees have been waived through the end of the day Thursday.

Further, more specific information is available at each carrier's Web site.

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-- Written by Ted Reed in Charlotte, N.C.

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