‘I guess I am not going anywhere’: Travelers wait as FAA grounds flights nationwide

Passengers across the United States faced canceled and delayed flights on Friday (November 13) after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop.

At San Jose Mineta International Airport in California, Debra Bliesner, 71, said she was headed to Palm Springs for a wedding when her flight was first delayed and then canceled.

A former Air Force member, Bliesner said she took the FAA stoppage seriously saying, “”I’d rather be inconvenienced,” she said.

Also in San Jose, Michelle Alexander Smith, 59, said she was trying to reach Los Angeles for a conference and to visit her son when she learned of the disruption.

“It doesn’t make me too nervous,” Smith said, adding that she assumed the issue would be resolved similarly to previous airline disruptions.

At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Jeanie and John Hellwiche of Gig Harbor, Washington, worried the disruption could affect plans to attend their son’s engagement party in Southern California. The couple said they were relieved to still have a flight scheduled for Saturday, but expected their trip would now be cutting it close.

In Miami, airport screens warned travelers that a nationwide ground stop was in effect and advised passengers to check with their airlines for updated flight information. 

The US Federal Aviation Administration grounded all departing flights nationwide on Friday after a communications failure hit air traffic control centers across the country, disrupting thousands of flights.

The announcement means planes in the air may land, but those on the ground cannot take off. Flight tracking service FlightAware said nearly 7,000 flights were delayed or canceled due to the nationwide ground stop.

“The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

The disruption is the latest sign of strain on the US air traffic control system, which has been beset by equipment failures, communications problems and shortages of controllers while the FAA tries to replace aging infrastructure. 

Congress approved $12.5 billion for the overhaul last year, and the FAA and White House asked lawmakers on Friday for another $30.1 billion.