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Pastimes : Hurricanes, Tornadoes and Other Natural Disasters -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lady Lurksalot who wrote (192)	8/31/2005 8:28:01 PM
From: sandintoes	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1460

New Orleans, Gulfport-Biloxi airports still closed By Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY Wed Aug 31, 7:10 AM ET New Orleans' hurricane-ravaged airport remained closed Tuesday, and it may be days away from resuming commercial service. Airports across the South closed by Hurricane Katrina resumed service throughout the day, but those at New Orleans and Gulfport, Miss., were the exceptions.. Airlines gave differing estimates of when they expect to resume service to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. The airport is the USA's 42nd largest as measured by plane capacity, according to Back Aviation Solutions. Southwest is its biggest carrier. The airport lacked electricity - even auxiliary power. Debris littered airport roadways. Some jetways were battered by the storm's powerful winds, Southwest spokesman Ed Stewart says. "Everywhere you look it's a mess," Stewart says. Southwest decided Tuesday to cancel all flights at New Orleans for today. Southwest flew most of its employees and their families from New Orleans to Houston before Katrina landed, complicating the airline's task of resuming service. Other airlines have canceled flights for a longer period or indefinitely. The Gulfport-Biloxi airport, the USA's 135th largest, may open as soon as today. Delta, the airport's largest operator, as of late Tuesday, planned to resume service there today, spokeswoman Chris Kelly says. The Federal Aviation Administration closed the airspace over a broad swath of the gulf region late Monday because of damaged radio and radar systems, agency spokeswoman Laura Brown says. Nationally, flights were mostly flowing smoothly with the exception of weather delays at a handful of airports such as Atlanta. "It looks like the rest of the system is operating well," Brown says. Software consultant Joe Harvey of Slidell, La., was among fliers with disrupted plans. He was scheduled to fly out of New Orleans Thursday to Cape Town, South Africa, for a monthlong project. He postponed his flight for a week but thinks he may have to make an additional change: his departing city. Harvey, interviewed from a hotel in Arkansas, says he believes he lost all of his possessions in the flooding. Harvey is packed for his Africa trip and is uncertain when he'll be able to check his home. Internet travel agency Travelocity made plans to contact thousands of customers who hold tickets into or out of New Orleans; Gulfport-Biloxi; Mobile, Ala.; Jackson, Miss.; and Baton Rouge over the next several weeks. "We're giving them a heads-up, saying, 'You're probably going to want to rethink your plans,' " Travelocity spokesman Joel Frey says. Inquiries to Travelocity's call centers have been 30% higher than average levels since Sunday, most asking about upcoming travel to the affected region, he says. news.yahoo.com