Here's what airline travellers can expect at NYC area airports on Sunday

The ripple effect of Friday’s nationwide ground stop continued to be felt on Saturday by Long Island travelers.

It's unclear exactly when airline schedules will return to normal. Staffing could be an aggravating factor. Federal regulations require airlines to give pilots and flight crews a 9- to 11-hour rest period, depending on the length of the shift they work.

Here's what air travellers in New York can expect:

Will I be able to fly today?

The nation’s aviation system should be back to full strength by Sunday evening, despite Saturday's long list of flight cancellations, Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford said yesterday.

Saying "the worst is behind us," Bedford predicted a full recovery of airline flight schedules before the weekend ends. 

Which airlines are recovering the fastest?

It's difficult to know. The three major New York airports all suffered a nearly 25% drop in takeoffs and departures, according to FlightAware.com.

American Airlines had the highest rate of interrupted air travel, according to the website. American had nearly 900 scratched flights and more than 700 delays across the country, the aviation website said.

The Texas-based airline issued travel alerts for all three major New York area airports and apologized to its customers, offering to waive change fees or provide a refund if the passenger decides to cancel the trip. American does require the new booking to be made on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Delta Airlines, which cancelled more than 730 flights nationwide on Saturday, offers similar fee waivers, however the airline allows another week (until Nov. 22) to rebook tickets.

Even budget carriers like Frontier, which only dropped 5% of its business, or 30 flights, on Saturday, were offering waivers. 

Each airline has its own policy, which are listed on the U.S. Department of Transportation's "Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard" page.

How could the air traffic control system fail so dramatically?

Although Federal Aviation Administration Commissioner Sean Duffy pointed the finger at a single contractor, working on upgrading the nation’s airspace communications system, experts say it's been an open secret for decades that the system needs fixing.

"Our air traffic control system is antiquated," said Edward Libassi, of A&P Aviation Consulting, based at MacArthur Airport. "We all know it. They're willing to admit to it, it's been like that for too many years."