At least 6,000 flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after communication issues caused by aging equipment shut down the nation’s airspace for several hours and suspended all departures.
An exceptional mess paralyzed airports throughout the country as authorities grounded aircraft as a precaution, according to the U.S. government, as reported by franceinfo. Passengers gathered near terminal entrances at airports like Atlanta on Friday evening, sitting on the floor and checking mobile phones for updates while departure boards flashed red with cancellations.
Planes sat in immobilized rows on the tarmac outside terminal windows. Kelly, a musician traveling to Mississippi for a weekend concert, boarded her aircraft only to sit inside the stationary cabin for three hours before staff instructed passengers to disembark without providing a new flight schedule. She ultimately completed her journey the following day via a six-hour taxi ride to Jackson.
"On a faim, on manque de sommeil, on ne peut même pas y aller en voiture, il n’y a plus de voiture de location, tout a été réservé," Stacy told franceinfo, describing the scramble to find lodging after her Chicago-bound flight was postponed.
“C’est très embêtant mais je préfère être en sécurité au sol plutôt que dans l’avion alors qu’ils n’ont pas de communication.”
Stacy and Dalaija ultimately spent the night with cousins in Atlanta after finding nearby hotels fully booked and rental cars unavailable. Rebecca faced similar lodging shortages while attempting to reach Washington for a scheduled conference presentation.
“Je vais sans doute devoir passer la nuit ici," Rebecca told franceinfo. "J’allais à Washington pour une conférence dans laquelle j’interviens. Je dois y être absolument. Pour l’instant, j’ai très peu d’informations sur ce qui se passe. C’est confus. Ils ont d’abord dit que c’était pour des raisons de sécurité, puis qu’il ne fallait pas s’inquiéter pour la sécurité.”
Traffic at Atlanta’s airport began resuming at a very slow pace by Friday evening. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy addressed the nationwide disruption in a statement.
Il nous faudra du temps pour reprendre un fonctionnement normal. Notre priorité absolue est votre sécurité, ainsi que celle de votre famille lorsque vous prenez l’avion," Duffy stated, highlighting the substantial investment needs facing the national transportation sector.
