Live updates from FAA ground stop: Duffy blames ‘overloaded’ routers; thousands of flights canceled

More than 700 flights were canceled Friday at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and many more were delayed after a nationwide Federal Aviation Administration stop disrupted air travel, prompting some passengers to abandon their plans, rent a car or return home.

Long queues formed throughout the airport as travelers dealt with the aftermath of an hours-long ground stop that disrupted flight schedules and travel plans.

“It’s just confusing. We heard this on our way to the airport and we just don’t know what to do at this point,” said passenger Kimaya Chalpe.

Passenger Lewis Murphy described the situation as “Really, really frustrating. You know, on a Friday, one of the busiest days of the week. Everyone is now stuck here.”

Among those affected was Bill Kalbac of Forest Park, who said he spent three and a half hours on a plane waiting to depart before the plane returned to the gate. He then joined a long queue at baggage claim to search for information about his luggage.

“So far they’ve told us there are more bags than people available to take them off the plane, so we’re just trying to figure out what’s the next step?” said Kalbac.

The disruptions began around 3 p.m., when the FAA ordered a stopover at U.S. airports, citing a communications problem with air traffic control.

The problem involved the country’s air traffic control centers, responsible for handling flights at 18,000 feet and above.

“You can get the planes to take off and land, but once they’re in the air, the problem seems to be ‘how do we communicate with them so they can continue their journey safely?'” said Sheldon Jacobson, a professor at the University of Illinois.

The ground stopover also affected arriving flights. Former ABC 7 reporter Christian Piekos said that after landing at O’Hare, he was on his plane for two hours because all the gates were occupied by other waiting planes.

“I mean, there’s really nothing else we can do right now other than sit back and be patient and just try to figure out where we go next,” Piekos said.

The ground stop was lifted shortly before 7:30 p.m., but for many travelers the change came too late to save their plans.

“When I hear ‘unprecedented’ on Friday the 13th, it’s a little intimidating, so I went and rebooked for tomorrow,” said passenger Heidi Wintrble.

Houston-bound traveler Joey Garza said, “My plan is basically to get a car and get behind the wheel. »

Some passengers said the disruptions, which came just before the busy holiday travel period, shook their confidence in air travel.