Power restored at Philadelphia International Airport terminal after dozens of flights delayed
Power was restored at Philadelphia International Airport Saturday after dozens of flights were delayed due to a power outage in Terminal D which caused several flights to move to different gates.
"Power has been restored to Terminal D at #PHLAirport. Terminal gates and ticketing computers are operating and concessions are open. Delta, United, Jet Blue, Air Canada and Alaska Air passengers should continue to check with their airlines for flight status updates," PHL's official X account wrote Saturday at around 1:30 p.m.
The airport reported the power outage on X just before 5 a.m. writing: "Due to a power outage in #PHLAirport's Terminal D, all United, Delta, JetBlue, Air Canada and Alaska Air passengers headed to or from PHL should check with their airline for their current flight status. All other terminals at PHL have power."
"We got here at about 8:30 this morning for a 10:15 flight, unfortunately, it hasn't taken off," said James Coe.
Coe said his Delta flight to Atlanta was delayed by a couple of hours. He and others waited in line as the airline's ticketing system also lost power.
"We were thinking about trying to get to another airport but this weekend is not a time to find another flight, I think we are in it for the long haul at the moment," he said.
Heather Redfern, a spokesperson for Philadelphia's Department of Aviation and the airport, told CBS News Philadelphia there are no cancellations as a result of the outage.
"You never want it to happen, but especially during the holiday period were people trying to get back in or go back to where they came from," she said.
Redfern said the outage was first reported around 9 p.m. Friday. She said it impacted Delta and United flights the most.
"People are moving just not at the pace that we would like them to, that they would like them to but they are getting out," she said.
Data from the flight-tracking website FlightAware showed delays in 147 flights in and out of PHL.
Dereck and Ava McFarland also waited in line to get an update on their flight.
"I just want to go back to school and get my work done but it's kind of hard because there [are] so many people, so many flights going out that we can't get on," said Ava McFarland.
However, some delays are not showing up on FlightAware – they're on the Philadelphia International Airport's website, PHL.org/flights. You can tap that link to search for you or your loved one's flight number or airline and check the status.
At last check just before 9 p.m., the airport's site showed 11 Delta flights as delayed along with five on Spirit Airlines, two United Airlines, and one on Alaska Air. Numbers were down from the morning delays which were in the double digits.
The cause of the outage is under investigation.
The Thanksgiving holiday travel period at PHL was expected to be the busiest since 2019 and 12% busier than in 2023. The airport projected about 95,000 travelers would be arriving and departing on Saturday, the third-busiest day of the travel period.
Sunday, Dec. 1 is projected to be the busiest day with over 99,000 travelers expected.
