News
Hurricane Irene’s wrath slows traffic
Aug. 29, 2011, New York, N.Y. - Airports in the New York area are open again now that Tropical Storm Irene has left town, but airlines warn it will be days before all stranded passengers find their way home.
August 29, 2011 By Carey Fredericks
New York's John F. Kennedy International and Newark Liberty International airports opened to arriving flights at 6 a.m. EDT (1000 GMT) after being closed since Saturday at noon. Departing flights are expected to start at noon. LaGuardia Airport opened to both arriving and departing flights at 7 a.m.
Smaller airports in the area are still closed. Stewart International Airport is expected to resume flights Tuesday. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airports, said Teterboro Airport in New Jersey is partially flooded and will reopen once damage can be repaired.
Philadelphia International Airport also resumed service Monday. Flights began arriving again late Sunday and early Monday, airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica said. Most airlines are expected to
return to a regular schedule there by Monday afternoon.
Flight tracking service FlightAware says there are nearly 1,500 cancelled flights on Monday, adding to the nearly 12,000 grounded this weekend. That tops record cancellations seen with a pair of massive snow storms this winter.
There are limited seats for passengers stranded because of Irene. Many flights are full ahead of Labor Day weekend.
The Port Authority urged travellers to contract airlines before going to the airport because delays and cancellations are still likely.
