Air travel was returning to normal late Thursday as a winter storm that caused hundreds of canceled flights over the previous two days eased its icy grip on the Midwest and Northeast.
There were still problems with runway snow and high winds, especially in the New York area, but major carriers expected conditions to improve by today.
Analysts said airlines would lose some revenue because of this week’s storm, but the carriers had enjoyed relatively mild weather for the first six weeks of the year. Demand for air travel is usually a bit slack during the first quarter.
American Airlines, the nation’s biggest carrier, expected to cancel 30 to 40 flights Thursday, many at New York’s Kennedy Airport, after canceling more than 700 flights nationwide the previous two days.
Port Authority crews at JFK were struggling to clear runways, said Tim Wagner, a spokesman for American. Ice on the runways triggered tighter federal rules about airplane loads at takeoff, which further complicated operations, Wagner said.
United reported an unspecified number of cancellations at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport and Dulles International Airport outside Washington.
