(MCT) — As the number of canceled flights continued to mount in Cyclone Sandy’s wake, analysts said the key to reopening storm-battered airports and getting flights back on schedule was to repair surface transportation so airport crews can staff their posts.

Super storm Sandy was blamed for cancellations of as many as 18,100 flights from Saturday through Wednesday and closing airports in East Coast cities including New York, Philadelphia and Newark, N.J. Some airlines have already begun to cancel a few dozen flights scheduled for Thursday.