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Air fares between Los Angeles and New York are going up by a significant amount, and more flights at LAX can expect delays, all because the main runway at New York's John F. Kennedy International will be closed for four months starting Monday. JetBlue, American and other airlines have already cut their schedules by about 10 percent for the shutdown period, and as a result prices are higher, as Associated Press explains:
With about one-third of JFK's traffic and half of its departures being diverted to three smaller runways, planes will wait on longer lines on the ground for takeoffs and in the air for landings. Delays at one of the nation's largest airports will ripple to cities across the U.S., including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Orlando....For example, the lowest published fares for flights between JFK and Los Angeles International Airport through June 20 range between $278 and $298 roundtrip. That's up from $198 to $218 recently. Delays and higher fares will affect Los Angeles travelers the most because the city is the most popular domestic destination from JFK, followed by San Francisco and Orlando.
JFK's Bay Runway, at 14,572 feet, "is one of the longest commercial runways in the world," says AP. It is being widened and repaved with concrete instead of asphalt.