Haitian Beatz

American Airlines on Friday morning resumed commercial flights to Haiti as the first major carrier to restart paid flights into the ravaged capital.

American will offer three flights a day directly to Port-au-Prince: one from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and two from Miami International. American also will fly from New York's JFK airport four times a week.

``All of us at American Airlines and American Eagle have been eager to restore our normal operations into Haiti,'' Peter Dolara, American's senior vice president -- Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America, said in a statement.

``These flights serve as major milestones toward helping the country rebuild. With commercial air service restored, we can better connect loved ones and provide consistent transportation to and from Haiti,'' he added.

Ralph Latortue, consul general of Haiti in Florida, said in a statement: ``We have begun our journey to recover from the catastrophic earthquake, but with support from companies like American Airlines, we hope it won't be nearly as long.''