Major New York LaGuardia Airport reopened Thursday four days after major hurricane Sandy. New York's other major airport John F. Kennedy, and New Jersey's Newark Airport reopened Wednesday, but due to excessive flooding LaGuardia remained closed for an extra day.
Flights at LaGuardia resumed at 7:00 am Thursday morning, when the first flight since the airport was shut on October 29 made its landing. No flights have departed from the airport as of now, but authorities say scheduling will resume later Thursday.
United Airlines Chief Operations Officer Pete McDonald told Bloomberg Business Week, called it the "largest weather-related aircraft re-scheduling ever undertaken by an airline."
USA Today reports that the airports runways were massively flooded due to the hurricane.
Hurricane Sandy dealt a huge blow to the New York City and New Jersey area transit system. In addition to problems with the airports, the city's subway system remains for the most part paralyzed.
Three days after the NYC subway transit was closed due to damage by hurricane Sandy, the MTA has restored 14 of the city's 23 lines- but only partially.
The fourteen lines that are restored are running from and till 34th Street Penn Station. No trains are running the 34th Street borderline. The lower half of Manhattan was greatly impacted by the storm.
Limited train services of the Long Island Rail Road have also resumed Thursday morning. Some trains will be running between Jamaica and Penn Station, other lines to Forest Hills, Woodside are also running on limited service schedule.
According to a CBS News report, most train lines for the LIRR will be restored by Friday. The services will running free of charge the whole Friday till midnight. Trains on the Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson Lines are running on a special schedule.
