This story was sent to you by: Bill Hough -------------------- Area airports delayed; United resuming flights -------------------- BY JOHN VALENTI john.valenti@xxxxxxxxxxx June 20, 2007, 4:48 PM EDT For the second straight day bad weather is causing trouble for air travelers at LaGuardia Airport. At 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration was reporting weather-related delays on arrivals and departures from LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International and Newark airports. Due to heavy volume, LaGuardia airport is experiencing arrival and departure delays of 35 minutes, according to the FAA. JFK is facing arrival and departure delays of 56 minutes; Newark is having similar problems, with delays of 54 minutes. Meanwhile, a computer malfunction at United Airlines halted all departures by the air carrier nationwide for two hours Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. The reason for the mid-morning malfunction was not immediately clear. It was 11 a.m. EST before the problem was fixed and United was able to resume flights -- though significant delays are expected, as the carrier attempts to get back on schedule. By Wednesday afternoon, there were still delays on United flights across the country, and officials with the airline were working to tabulate how many flights had been affected. The airline has about 3,600 flights each day, spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said. The latest problems come less than 24 hours after storm systems in the midwest caused major delays -- and even flight cancellations -- at the three major metro-New York area airports, according to the FAA. Those storms stranded some passengers overnight at Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark-Liberty airports, Port Authority of New York officials said. The Port Authority manages the three airports, which recorded a record number of flight delays in the first four months of 2007, according to a recent study by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. That study found that 38 percent of all flights from the big three airports were either late or canceled during that time period, causing airline traffic back-ups nationwide. Port Authority spokesman Pasquale Difulco told the Associated Press the Tuesday service disruptions at Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark began at about 6 p.m. due to severe weather conditions in the midwest. American Airlines and JetBlue were among the airlines that canceled flights. A JetBlue spokeswoman, Alison Eshelman, told the Associated Press that congestion at the three New York-metro airports made service there more sensitive to weather-related delays and disruptions. "It's such a hard thing in the Northeast right now," Eshelman said. "The airports there have grown so much. It's definitely an issue that needs to be dealt with . . . Something does need to be done." It was Valentine's Day when a storm led to JetBlue canceling 1,096 flights -- a move that tarnished the carrier's reputation and led to the airline creating a customer bill of rights. That "bill" promises vouchers to fliers who experience delays. Passengers on one JetBlue flight delayed Tuesday night -- a 4:45 p.m. flight from Kennedy to Burbank, Calif. -- reportedly received $100 vouchers after the flight sat on the tarmac for almost two hours. Copyright (c) 2007, Newsday, Inc. -------------------- This article originally appeared at: http://www.amny.com/news/local/transportation/ny-nyair0621,0,2114772.story?coll=am-transportation-headlines Visit AM New York online at http://www.amny.com <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".