Technical Issue Affects Flights Across The US
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – An air traffic control technical issue that affected flights throughout much of the Northeastern U.S. also grounded passengers in South Florida.
Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport reported 15 cancellations and 131 delays. Miami International Airport reported 17 cancellations and 10 delays.
"I've been delayed going into D.C.," said Kevin Armstead, who was waiting at Miami International Airport to try to catch a fly home. "Can't find anything out even to Baltimore. Dulles, Baltimore, Reagan, everything's jammed up."
"One our way to the airport, after we'd checked out of the hotel, they said your flight's cancelled," said Genivieve, who was also trying to make her way home from MIA.
The Federal Aviation Administration said an automation problem at an air traffic center in Virginia was believed to be the cause of the issue. Although the glitch was resolved by late Saturday afternoon, airlines were left trying to return to normal operations and accommodate the tens of thousands of passengers across the country who were affected.
In Washington D-C and Arlington, Virginia, there were long lines of passengers trying to figure out how to get to their destination. At Miami International Airport, lines were not as bad but passengers were tired and frustrated.
"Hopefully they'll some kind of additional flights so we won't know that till later today or tomorrow," said Genivieve.
But for now, Genivieve says she could not get a confirmed flight until Monday. "It's very inconvenient because if I'm confirmed on Monday, that means I can't work on Monday," she said.