Pilot, former air traffic controller react to national ground stop

Trump's transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, blamed outdated equipment at a remote FAA location for a major ground stop that halted U.S. air travel for about five hours on Friday. During maintenance by contractor L3 Harris to replace old copper wire with fiber optic lines, communications were disrupted, affecting radar feeds and making it hard for air traffic control to communicate. Over 3,500 airplanes were in the…

A Federal Aviation Administration ground stop on Friday disrupted travel plans for several sports teams, most notably in college football where multiple games were rescheduled or delayed. The NFL, however, was largely unaffected as all road teams were scheduled to travel on Saturday. To mitigate the impact on officiating, the NFL reassigned some backup referees to games within driving distance of their hometowns.

US flights have resumed following a nationwide ground stop that cancelled 12,000 flights. The incident was caused by outdated technology, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

On Friday, the FAA implemented a rare nationwide ground stop, suspending all air traffic in the United States for approximately four hours. This marks the longest such shutdown since the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the second nationwide ground stop of all departures since then. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy indicated that the issue stemmed from older systems…

Over 5000 US flights were canceled due to a nationwide ground stop. The Trump administration has hinted that a contractor might be responsible for the disruption, but the article does not provide further details or specific numbers regarding the contractor's involvement.

Former FAA air traffic senior executive Mike McCormick warned Congress about the urgent need to fund an overhaul of the nation’s aging air traffic control system after recent equipment issues caused a nationwide ground stop. Speaking on "Fox & Friends Weekend," McCormick predicted that it could take up to 48 hours to recover from the disruptions, emphasizing the challenges of updating technology while maintaining…

During a press conference to discuss the previous day’s major air travel disruptions caused by outdated technology, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and FAA officials faced their own technical issues on live television. The glitches included echoing sounds and feedback, causing a delay of three minutes while the equipment was fixed. Secretary Duffy appeared irritated and acknowledged the irony of the…

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that a nationwide ground stop on Friday was caused by an equipment issue during a telecommunications network upgrade at a remote FAA facility. L3Harris, a contractor updating copper wires to fiber optic cables, was performing routine maintenance when the error occurred. The FAA is investigating whether the issue was due to user error or a faulty router, with no evidence…

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Saturday that flight operations across the country are gradually returning to normal following a nationwide disruption. Duffy stated that while flights are operating safely, passengers should anticipate continued delays and cancellations as airlines adjust schedules and move aircraft and personnel to necessary locations. The Transportation Department is…

A nationwide grounding of US flights lasting about five hours on Friday caused nearly 10,000 cancellations and delays, affecting major airlines like Delta, American, and United. With nearly 29 million passengers expected to fly during the Thanksgiving period from November 20 to 30, airlines are struggling to recover, potentially causing continued disruptions for several days. The Federal Aviation Administration’s…

This informational guide explains passenger rights regarding flight delays and cancellations following a four-hour nationwide FAA ground stop in the United States that cancelled approximately 10,000 flights. The text details specific compensation thresholds, such as a refund option for delays exceeding five hours and tiered payouts ranging from £220 to £520 depending on distance and duration. It clarifies that while…

On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide grounding of all flights, causing major disruptions to travel plans for various sports teams across the United States. This affected upcoming college football games, with matches like Utah's against Arizona and Arizona State’s against Central Florida being delayed by several hours. Professional sports were impacted too, with NBA team Cleveland…

A travel expert advises passengers on how to manage disruptions following a telecommunications issue in the FAA’s air traffic control system that led to over 14,000 flight cancellations on Friday and Saturday. Brett Snyder, president of Cranky Concierge, recommends that travelers consider rebooking or canceling delayed trips, especially for short and less critical journeys, and suggests staying updated through…

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford ruled out a cyberattack or AI-related causes for the nationwide ground stop on Friday, which affected over a million travelers. Bedford apologized for the disruptions and defended the decision to ground flights as a precaution. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy suggested that routine maintenance work by contractor L3Harris, which involves switching telecommunication lines from old…

Air Canada cancelled about 250 flights on Friday due to a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-ordered ground stop, affecting roughly 27,000 passengers. British Columbian flyers stranded in Cancun, Mexico, spent between $2,000 and $3,000 on alternative travel arrangements after their flights were cancelled, citing poor communication and lack of rebooking assistance from Air Canada. The FAA's ground stop was a…

The Trump administration attributed the longest nationwide ground stop in 25 years to antiquated air traffic control systems being overwhelmed by the installation of new technology. The five-hour stoppage on Friday, November 13, 2026, affected thousands of flights and potentially over a million travelers, with at least 827 flights diverted to various airports across the country. Secretary of Homeland Security…

Transport Secretary Sean Duffy announced that a nationwide flight suspension in the US, causing over 3,500 cancellations, was triggered by a copper wire upgrade gone wrong. The incident, caused by a contractor's work on a router, led to communication issues with planes, prompting the FAA to halt all flights for over four hours. An investigation is ongoing to determine if the issue was due to incompetence or faulty…

The Federal Aviation Administration announced that the U.S. air travel schedule will likely recover by Sunday after a nationwide ground stop that ended Friday night. Approximately 4,000 flights were canceled on Friday, and while 41,000 flights were scheduled for Saturday, between 4,000 and 5,000 are expected to be canceled. Air Canada alone canceled around 250 flights, affecting about 27,000 customers. Passengers…

On Friday, the FAA imposed and later lifted a nationwide ground stop on U.S. flights due to a telecommunications outage, which lasted over four hours. The disruption, affecting more than 3,500 planes initially in the air, led to the cancellation of over 4,000 flights and delays for more than 10,000 others, impacting an estimated 1.5 million passengers. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the outage to…

Flight disruptions continued at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on Saturday, despite the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lifting a ground stop the previous evening. While some travelers reported smooth departures, several U.S.-bound flights from Pearson were delayed or canceled, including trips to Chicago, Detroit, and New York. Meanwhile, delays persisted for flights from the U.S. to Canada, with…

The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating the cause of a major air traffic control system failure that led to flight delays and cancellations across the country. The incident began when a contractor, L3Harris Technologies, was performing routine maintenance on outdated telecommunication equipment, causing an overload in the system’s routers. FAA Administrator Brian Bedford acknowledged the crisis and…

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop on all departing flights from U.S. airports on Friday afternoon due to a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that the stoppage was prompted by "extraordinary circumstances" and "reasons of safety" while technicians investigate the technical failure. The report frames this…

The FAA issued a rare nationwide ground stop on Friday for all domestic flights due to a major outage in its air communications system. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin characterized the event as a telecommunication outage rather than a cyber or terrorist attack, though the duration of the order remains unspecified. This marks only the third time in history the agency has halted all flights, following…

The FAA lifted a nationwide ground stop on Saturday morning following a "telecommunications outage" that halted all flights across the country on Friday. FlightAware reported over 8,860 cancellations on Friday and an additional 2,650 cancellations on Saturday, while US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the massive disruption to an "incredibly old" air traffic control system. This report highlights that…

Canadian air travellers experienced delays and cancellations over the weekend due to the U.S. nationwide ground stop that lasted about five hours on Friday. Air Canada cancelled around 250 flights, impacting approximately 27,000 passengers, and continued to face disruptions on Saturday with over 100 flights cancelled. Airlines like Air Canada, WestJet, and Porter offered free flight changes to assist stranded…