US air traffic system may reopen today - AA

AMERICAN Airlines (AA) anticipates that the US government will reopen the air traffic system during the course of today. It will obviously take some time to get the system running at full capacity. The airline believes it will take 48 hours or more for the system to become fully operational. AA will process cancellations and rebookings without charge for flights up to September 25. The airline has identified which flights were cancelled or diverted but can't, at this time, pinpoint at which hotels people were staying. "We will work very closely with the trade and keep them updated on developments," says Jim Weighell, American Airlines, Johannesburg-based sales manager for South Africa. *American lost two aircraft, a Boeing 767 aircraft (Boston to Los Angeles) carrying 81 passengers, and a Boeing 757 (Washington Dulles to Los Angeles) carrying 58 passengers. (Mark Gray)