JetBlue resumes service at Northeast airports

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- JetBlue Airways resumed service at Logan International Airport and three airports in the Tri-State area Tuesday after shutting down operations for 17 hours.

Signs of the airline's gradual return began at about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, with two flights departing from Logan to Florida listed as "on time."

A JetBlue spokesperson said 25-percent of scheduled flights departed at 10 a.m. They hope to be fully operational by 3 p.m.

The airline began to resume flights in the Northeast after shutting down operations completely at Logan, JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark Monday evening so that they could rest their crew and equipment.

According to the tracking service FlightAware.com, airlines were forced to cancel more than 8,700 flights nationwide over a span of three days after inclement weather slammed the Midwest and the East Coast.

JetBlue was among the hardest-hit, with 425 flights canceled by Monday afternoon. Some passengers at Boston's Logan Airport had been stuck for two days, sleeping on cots and chairs.

Southwest Airlines Co. was also plagued by 100 flight cancellations at Chicago's Midway Airport Monday. Spokesman Brad Hawkins said that the extreme cold made tasks such as refueling so much longer and more difficult that it the airline couldn't keep its usual schedule. By late Monday, Southwest had resumed flying at Midway, although Hawkins described the initial activity as "a trickle." The airline's planes were expected to be in position to resume normal operations on Tuesday, he said.

A JetBlue spokesperson said rules on pilot rest that took effect Saturday contributed to the airline's problems. She said that crews of some delayed planes had to go home because they wouldn't be able to complete their flights within the time allowed by Federal Aviation Administration rules intended to prevent pilots from become overly tired. Young could not put a number on such incidents.

JetBlue Airways Corp. shares dropped 39 cents to close at $8.66. The 4.3 percent decline was the steepest among large U.S. airlines in percentage terms. Southwest fell 27 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $19.15.

JetBlue will waive change/cancel fees and fare differences for customers traveling from Jan. 2 through Jan. 8. Click here for details.

Cox Media Group