return to work today.

But a local airline representative warned the order may not be enough to end the strike.

"We don't know if they will listen,'' said American's Bermuda general manager Carol DeCouto. "It's an illegal sick-out as it is.'' Hundreds of disappointed passengers have been offered alternative services until the American planes can fly again.

Two services between JFK airport and Bermuda were scrapped yesterday and today's morning flight is also off the schedule.

Pilots told to go back to work "I'm hopeful that by tomorrow night we will be operational. We won't know until tomorrow,'' Mrs. DeCouto said last night.

"I would like to take this opportunity to apologise and say how sorry we are about this issue.'' The disruption began when Tuesday night's flight from New York was grounded because no crew was available to fly to Bermuda.

And upcoming flights remain in doubt as a dispute between the airline and the Allied Pilots Association continues.

The dispute centres on American Airlines' buy-out of Reno Air and the APA's attempts to protect the interests of Reno pilots caught in the merger.

Yesterday US District Judge Joe Kendall granted a temporary restraining order to end the five-day APA sick-out.

But he placed much of the blame for the recent crisis on the airline.

"If you would look up bad labor relations in the dictionary, you would have an American Airlines logo beside it,'' he reportedly said.

However, Donald J. Carty, American's chairman and CEO, was optimistic the airline would soon resume scheduled operations.

"We took this step to protect our customers and employees from further disruption. We are very pleased that the judge agreed that the sick out is an illegal job action and must end,'' he said in a statement.

"And we are confident that our pilots will obey the order and return to work.'' American Airlines normally operates 2,250 flights a day. Executives had to cancel 500 flights on Monday, 827 flights on Tuesday and 906 flights yesterday -- including the services between New York and Bermuda.

They said every major city which American flies to had been affected.

Now the airline had set up two special hotlines for anxious customers on 1-800-433-7300 and 1-800-223-5436.