After tropical storm Irene hit the East coast, major airline companies were forced to cancel approximately 9500 flight, completely halting operations at the busiest airports in the U.S. including the New York Airport . However, airline companies are seeking to reschedule flights as the hurricane is exits the region by Monday.

Consequently, carriers like United and Continental Airlines, announced their plan of resuming flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport on Monday, August 29.

Other airlines that conduct regular flights from these airports are Delta Air Lines, US Airways, and American Airlines and JetBlue Airways.

The catastrophic Irene created a huge dent in the airline industry, which is already struggling with mounting cost and fuel prices. The affected region, particularly the Northeast accounted for highest air traffic for the airlines, serving major airports like John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, New York and Newark airport, New Jersey. Cancellation of several flights to these destinations led to tremendous discord in other connecting regions, resulting in huge business losses. 

Market sources project a loss of more than 1 billion for the airline industry as a result of shut down during the last weekend. To combat losses, airlines like JetBlue have introduced reduced fares for customers rescheduling their travel date to affected areas.