By Mariel S. Clark
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — If you thought delays at JFK were bad already, get ready for them to get worse — and for airline tickets to become even more expensive.
Right on the heels of massive delays from last week's snowstorm, the biggest and busiest runway at John F. Kennedy International airport has closed for four months for extensive repairs and upgrades.
JFK's Bay runway is scheduled to be closed from March through June as crews work to dig up its asphalt surface and replace it with concrete, which is more durable. The runway will also be widened to accept even larger aircraft.
During the shutdown, flights will be handled by three of the airport's smaller runways, leading to increased delays for millions of passengers as planes to wait longer for takeoffs and landings.
Along with the headache of longer wait times, passengers will also be hit with higher prices as airlines including Delta, JetBlue and American raise fares to make up for having to cut their schedules by about 10 percent, the AP reported.
The four-month construction window was chosen because is the driest time of the year and weather was least likely to delay the $376 million project, according to the AP.
The Bay runway handles about a third of the airport's traffic and at more than 14,500 feet is one of the largest in the country and a backup landing spot for the space shuttle.
