Airlines Report Operations Mostly Back on Track in Wake of Hurricane Matthew

After several days of mass cancellations as a result of Hurricane Matthew’s march towards the Southeast coast of the US, airline schedules have now more or less returned to normal.

As Hurricane Matthew first threatened to make landfall in the U.S., airlines quickly moved to cancel thousands of flights and relocate valuable equipment out of harm’s way. While millions of people from the Caribbean to the Carolinas are still suffering lasting effects of the natural disaster, airlines have been able to quickly restore operations to most of the affected destinations.

According to USA Today, despite nearly 5,000 flights being cancelled beginning on Wednesday and with some cancellations continuing through until as late as Sunday, most US carriers are now reporting a return to near-normal operations in the region. Even in Haiti, which was especially hard hit by Matthew’s wrath, regular service is slowly starting to return. The country’s busiest commercial airport Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport (PAP) re-opened for humanitarian aid flights as early as Thursday.

Pitt–Greenville Airport (PGV) in North Carolina seems to be a glaring exception to the aviation industry’s quick rebound from the devastating storm. The small regional airport announced Sunday that the facility would be closed for at least a week as a result of historically high flood levels. “We expect runway access at the airport will go underwater sometime tonight or tomorrow morning,” PGV Executive Director Betty Stansbury told a local newspaper. ”We expect Memorial just north of the airport at the Tar River will go underwater sometime tonight or early tomorrow. Portions of the airfield will go underwater as well.”

While carriers and airports have done a remarkable job of getting back to normal in the face of the widespread destruction wrought by the powerful hurricane, officials are also making a point to remember that not everyone was as lucky to escape Matthew unscathed. American Airlines has announced a special opportunity for flyers to earn AAdvantage Miles by donating to the Red Cross. From now until the end of the month, members who donate between $50 and $100 to the Red Cross will earn 250 AAdvantage miles and those who donate more than $100 will earn up to 500 miles.

[Photo: NOAA/AP]