US airlines add seats after snowstorm

Published: 9:11AM Tuesday December 22, 2009 Source: Reuters

  • Print this article
  • Text size + -

Major air carriers added extra flights to accommodate passengers whose travel plans were disrupted by a massive weekend storm that dumped as much as two feet of snow on the US Northeast.

The storm buried cities from Washington, DC, to Boston, resulted in closures or significant delays at airports and forced hundreds of flight cancellations just days before Christmas.

"All airports are open and our flights are running normally today," said Susan Elliott, a spokeswoman for Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc, the world's largest air carrier.

She said Delta has added about 6,500 additional seats to flight schedules on Monday, including 22 additional flights, in heavily impacted markets. On some routes, aircraft have been upgraded to planes that have more seats to be able to serve more travelers, she said.

UAL Corp's United Airlines halted about 1,000 flights over the past weekend, or about a tenth of its global network, spokesman Rahsaan Johnson said. He said the airline is also planning to add extra flights this week.

AMR Corp's American Airlines added at least 15 extra flights to areas such as New York, Boston and Washington, spokesman Tim Smith said in an email.

American Airlines canceled about 325 flights Dec 18-20, and a similar number were canceled on the carrier's American Eagle regional affiliate, he said.

"We have made good progress in reaccommodating passengers and we'll continue that process today to get our customers to their destinations in time for Christmas," Smith added.

The Arca airline index was up modestly on Monday as airline stocks were mixed. Delta was down 8 cents to $11.58 in afternoon trading, while AMR was up 4 cents to $7.65. UAL was up 12 cents to $11.54, and Continental Airlines Inc gained 40 cents, or 2.3 percent, to $17.67.

  • Print this article
  • Text size + -
  • more...

World News Video

World News

Most Popular

  1. 32 children killed in Syrian massacre watch
  2. 'Child porn' found on Megaupload servers by FBI
  3. Undercover report exposes elderly care industry
  4. Rain and wind to lash parts of South Island watch
  5. Michelle Obama sings Beyonce's praise

rssLatest News

Advertising

How do you want your news?

  • Mobile Devices

    TVNZ is available on mobile phones: Text TVNZ to 8869.

  • News Feeds

    See when TVNZ have added new content. You can get the latest headlines anywhere.

  • Podcasts

    Enjoy TVNZ on the move - a wide range of programmes and highlights are available.