US Flight Shutdown Highlights Nationwide Air Traffic Strain
The FAA grounded all departing US flights on Saturday with over 3,500 aircraft airborne, citing an old traffic control system. Cancellations spilled into Sunday, including United and Qantas services linked to Australia. Qantas is offering fee-free changes.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all departing flights across the country on Saturday, and the nationwide flight shutdown highlights how fragile the air traffic system can be. Cancellations continued into Sunday, including services between Australia and the United States.
The agency cited "extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety". It issued the ground stop at 3.36pm US time with more than 3,500 aircraft in the air, the FAA said in a statement.
The FAA officially lifted the order about midday Saturday Australian time. Travelers still face long backlogs as airlines work through disrupted schedules.
What the FAA said
Authorities first halted traffic in Chicago because of air traffic control problems, then widened the order to the whole country. The FAA said the problem posed no threat to public safety.
It blamed an "incredibly old traffic control system" for an overload of data. The agency said it was working to fix a technical issue, though the alert itself carried little detail.
The warning has been used just twice in the past 25 years. Before Saturday, the FAA had used the power only since the September 11 terror attacks in 2001, and the previous ground stop in January 2023 paused domestic flights for only a couple of hours.
Effects in Australia
A United Airlines flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles, scheduled for 11.30am Sunday, was cancelled. So was a United service due to arrive from Los Angeles at 9.30am. A Qantas flight from New York via Auckland was cancelled at Sydney Airport.
Other flights to and from the US are scheduled to run as normal from Melbourne and Sydney, according to the report. A Sydney Airport spokesman said some US-bound departures were grounded and urged passengers to check with their airline.
Qantas said most of its flights were not affected. It will offer fee-free changes, credit or a refund, subject to availability, for flights booked on November 13 or 14. Changes must be made before November 21.
The airline is also offering flexibility to passengers heading to Honolulu, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Advice for travelers
Federal Transport Minister Catherine King said Australian aviation safety agencies CASA and Airservices had advised that local systems were not affected. Domestic operations continue as normal, she said.
The Australian Travel Industry Association told anyone flying to the US in the next 72 hours who has not heard from a travel agent, tour operator or airline to make contact. Chief executive Dean Long said: "This is a developing situation and there will be knock-on impacts."
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