NEWS: Airlines Take a Shot from Mother Nature

Proving that she can still throw a punch, Mother Nature laid down a swath of snow from the midwest to the east coast over the weekend. The snow and often blizzard like conditions wreaked havoc on flights in Minneapolis, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and countless smaller airports. Days like these can be the bane of airline operations as they struggle to accomodate stranded people all over the country. For every person trying to get out of a snow laden airport there is another person trying to get into that airport from somewhere else in the country. Troubles are compounded by the fact that delays often mean flight crews will need rest and replacements are difficult to move into position. It goes exponential in a hurry. While these problems are nothing new the cost associated with them can be large. Just one more factor that is sapping the cash reserves of the weaker airlines.