Hurricane Sandy cancels 19,000 US flights

The massive hurricane that pelted the Eastern Seaboard of the United States this week resulted in 19,500 flights being cancelled, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.com.

The mass cancellations began a day before Sandy make landfall, with 1,300 cancellations Sunday, the website said. The flight postponements picked up Monday and Tuesday with 7,884 and 7,074, respectively, as the storm battered coastal areas from Virginia to Maine.

Another 2,801 flights scheduled for Wednesday were canceled and 481 Thursday trips have been postponed as well, the site reported. 

Most major airports along the East Coast were beginning to come back to life Wednesday, but New York's LaGuardia Airport sustained major flood damage to its runways.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday afternoon that only a few airports remained closed. The agency said it was "impacted airlines and commercial, general aviation and military airports as they assess damage and provide support as they resume operations.

"As airports reopen, we are dispatching airport certification inspectors to provide assistance and ensure compliance with airport safety regulations," the FAA statement said. "As air carriers begin flying, FAA aviation safety inspectors are also on-site at airports to provide support and ensure safety compliance."  


Several airlines have waived their normal fees for changing flights as customers try to rebook their travel after Sandy moved on.

— This story was updated with new information at 4:02 p.m.

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