Airports reopen after monster blizzard in north-east US

Airports have reopened in the north-eastern US after blizzards caused some 7,000 flights to be cancelled over the busy post-Christmas travel period, BBC News reported.

Services have now resumed into and out of New York, Boston and Philadelphia.

But officials warn it could take days to clear the flight backlog for tens of thousands of stranded passengers.

Analysts say the storm and its aftermath could cost the airlines up to $100m. The blizzards also disrupted rail and road traffic.

The conditions were blamed for a car crash in Maine in which a 59-year-old man died, and for stranding two buses carrying some 50 passengers on a New Jersey motorway.

National rail operator Amtrak - who earlier shut its New York-Boston route - now announced a limited resumption of services.

The US National Weather Service says the monster snow storm is the result of a low pressure system which originated off North Carolina.

However, forecasters are now expecting milder weather for the rest of the week, which could help in speeding up the clearing of snow.