Air travel across the United States began to recover on Saturday after a sweeping communications failure forced authorities to halt all departures for several hours, though officials cautioned that a full return to normal schedules would not happen overnight.
The nationwide ground stop, which lasted roughly four hours, was lifted at 8:15 pm Eastern Time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the agency reopened the airspace after restoring full functionality at air traffic control facilities.
"It will take us time to resume normal operations," Duffy said. "Our top priority is the safety of you and your family when you fly."
The disruption rippled across the country well into Saturday, with major hubs such as New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport still showing dozens of delayed and canceled flights. The event marked only the second time a nationwide ground stop had been ordered in US airspace since the September 11 attacks, underscoring the scale of the disruption in one of the world's busiest aviation systems.
Passengers Left in the Dark
For hundreds of thousands of travelers, Friday turned into a day of confusion and frustration. Some were pulled off planes moments before departure by airline staff who appeared to have little information about what was happening.
At Washington's Reagan National Airport, Colin Montgomery was already making backup plans after his flight was canceled. He booked another flight for the following morning but remained doubtful it would go ahead. "We're trying to debate whether or not we need to reschedule or drive or what," said Joseph Anderson, 72, who was attempting to fly from Las Vegas to Oakland, California. "But if the whole country is stopped, that means the highways are going to be jammed too."
Inside terminals, departure boards continued to display flights leaving as normal, while mobile boarding passes held by stranded passengers appeared to show their flights were already underway. The conflicting information added to the sense of chaos.
At New York's LaGuardia Airport, Tiara Johnson described a frustrating cycle of delays as she tried to reach Orlando for a concert with a friend. "They just keep delaying it," she said. "So it started out at 7:55. Then it went to 8:30, 9:30. Now it's at 10:30. So we don't know when it's gonna leave."
Others were told their flights had been held up by wind, leaving them to piece together information on their own. In Las Vegas, long lines formed at rental car counters as stranded passengers scrambled for alternatives. Susan Sardina said she had already boarded her flight back to Orange County, California, when staff told passengers to get off.
No Evidence of Cyberattack
Duffy told reporters there was no indication that the outage was the result of a cyberattack or an artificial intelligence attack. He also ruled out any link to the Microsoft outage earlier this week, which knocked email systems offline for millions of users, public services and businesses around the world.
As airlines work through backlogs and reposition aircraft and crews, travelers have been urged to check with their carriers before heading to airports. Officials warned that residual delays and cancellations are likely to persist as the system gradually returns to normal.
