Nearly 10,000 flights disrupted after ground stop from FAA computer glitch

A new year, but a different meltdown for air travelers.

Thousands of flights were delayed or canceled Wednesday after an early-morning computer outage at the Federal Aviation Administration forced the agency to issue a nationwide ground stop.

The ground stop – which holds planes waiting for departure on the ground – was lifted just after 9 a.m. EST, but not before it wreaked havoc on the nation’s flight schedules after being in place for nearly two hours.

More than 8,500 U.S. flights had been delayed and another 1,235 canceled as of 3 p.m. EST, according to flight-tracking service Flight Aware.

The glitch disrupted the plans of tens of thousands of flyers, leaving airlines scrambling to try to keep the unexpected morning delays from cascading into bigger problems as they worked to get their planes and crews back into position.

While Wednesday's FAA snafu paled in comparison to the extended Christmas meltdown that resulted from a sprawling winter storm, it was the second big disruption to hit U.S. travelers in just three weeks' time.

In the Christmas disruption, which saw tens of thousands of flight cancellations during about a week's time, the FAA chided airlines about their ability to get schedules back on track after the poor weather passed. Southwest was particularly hard hit, the weather exposing its antiquated scheduling technology and leaving the carrier with daily unwanted headlines as the year drew to a close.

Now, on Wednesday, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has had to issue updates regarding the FAA amid questions about its own antiquated technology.

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In a tweet, Buttigieg said he had already been in touch with the FAA — which is overseen by the Department of Transportation — and that he would continue to provide updates.

At least one passenger advocacy group noted the difference in tone that the FAA had about its own glitch as compared to the industry's ability to get back on track after December's holiday storm.

The Airline Passenger Experience Association, or APEX, even called on the U.S. government to provide compensation to air travelers for Wednesday’s air traffic control failure, after Buttigieg and the DOT pressured airlines to do the same last month.

“The US government needs to rise to the same level of accountability to passengers as the airlines that have been paying hundreds of millions of dollars to protect customers for non-weather related delays and cancellations,” APEX CEO Joe Leader said in a statement. “Air traffic control failures happen too often. This national failure highlights a need for the US government to redirect airline taxes to practice what they preach: protect customers when it’s your fault within your control.”

In the aftermath of the FAA outage, U.S. airlines quickly reached out to customers, alerting them to potential problems caused by problems at the FAA.

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"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is experiencing a nationwide system outage that affects all airlines," said American Airlines in a tweet. "We're closely monitoring the situation and working with the FAA to minimize customer disruptions."

United Airlines came out with its own message, warning travelers to brace for delays.

"The FAA system that sends out important real-time flight hazards and restrictions to all commercial airline pilots — Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) — is currently suffering a nationwide outage. United has temporarily delayed all domestic flights and will issue an update when we learn more from the FAA," United said earlier Wednesday morning.

Southwest, in the wake of its own meltdown two weeks ago, was quick to alert travelers that it was monitoring the situation.

Southwest also appeared to be particularly hard hit Wednesday, with delays to more than 1,900 of its flights — or about 50% of its entire daily schedule. Another 400 — or 10% — were canceled, according to FlightAware.

That follows on the heels of the tens of thousands of flights that were delayed and canceled due to a wicked winter storm right before Christmas and a subsequent meltdown from Southwest.

Southwest was not alone with issues stemming from the FAA glitch.

American also had delayed about half of its daily mainline schedule (1,400-plus flights) and canceled another 6% (190), as of 3 p.m. EST. Delta and United each were suffering delays to about 40% of their entire mainline schedules while about a third of all JetBlue flights were delayed. The regional affiliates that fly for American, Delta and United also were suffering widespread disruptions.

Passengers whose flights are canceled by the airline are entitled to a full refund, regardless of the reason. Department of Transportation policy requires refunds (and not just a trip credit) for issues on U.S. flights.

Related readings:

• What to do if your flight is canceled or delayed
• How your credit card can help you in the event of airline delays
• Airline delay and cancellation policies