Computer Problem Causes Flight Delays across the U.S.
Computer Problem Causes Flight Delays across the U.S.
A computer glitch that caused flight cancellations and delays across the U.S. Thursday has been resolved, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The problem involved the FAA computer systems in Salt Lake City and Atlanta that handle automated flight plans, forcing air traffic controllers to revert to the much more time-consuming approach of entering flight plans by hand.
That produced a “domino effect” delaying flights around the country, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said.
FAA spokesperson, Paul Takemoto, said the problem started between 5:15 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. EST.
Delays began on the East Coast and rippled out to the west. The problem wasn’t affecting radar coverage or communications with planes in the air, the FAA said. The air traffic controllers union, however, said the FAA systems that provide information on weather and wind speeds at airports also weren’t functioning.
As of mid-morning, the delays appeared to be waning, based on a check of some major airports, according to FlightStats.com. The Web site, which captures FAA flight data, indicated that departures from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are delayed by 20 to 60 minutes. But departures scheduled for later in the day are generally showing to be on time.
“The airport is working to minimize the impact on customers by bringing in additional staff and ensuring that all facilities are operational and fully maintained,” a statement from Hartsfield-Jackson officials said.
Departures from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York are indicated running at more than an hour for a handful of flights, according to FlightStats.com. But later this morning, they show on time. Philadelphia International Airport shows delays of 15 to 30 minues on some flights scheduled to depart soon, but departures scheduled for later also look to be on time.
US Airways Group Inc. said the FAA’s problems created a systemwide slowdown for its planes, with some being delayed up to 30 minutes. The airline said it brought additional staffers to its operations center in Pittsburgh to cope with the slower, manual processing of flight information.
The FAA system is a major, cutting-edge program full of redundancies that are designed to keep it from going down. As such, the problem is quite different from localized radio communication or computer problems the FAA suffers from time to time.
Passengers are being asked to check the status of their flights online before going to airports.
