Delta Air Lines said Monday that "limited flying is expected to resume Tuesday afternoon at Delta's LaGuardia and JFK hubs with a full restart targeted for Wednesday, subject to conditions." An airline spokesman says Delta also plans to restart operations Tuesday morning at other Northeast airports, including the Boston and Washington-area airports, conditions permitting.

Most carriers will allow affected passengers to change their itineraries without penalty. Check the major airlines' advisories here: American Airlines, Delta, United, US Airways, AirTran, JetBlue, Southwest.

Middle Eastern, European and Asian airlines also grounded flights in and out of the United States' Eastern Seaboard as Sandy approached.

The good news is that the storm is happening during a slow travel season and airlines canceled many of the flights in advance, minimizing the number of stranded passengers, according to Farecompare.com Chief Executive Rick Seaney.

"Barring significant airport damage, flight patterns should be back to normal by the end of the weekend," Seaney said.