The Federal Aviation Administration lifted its nationwide ground stop on Friday evening, November 13th, after more than four hours with no departures from U.S. airports, including Orlando International Airport. Federal officials warned that delays and cancellations will continue while airports and airlines get back to full capacity. Here’s the latest.
FAA Ground Stop Lifted at Orlando International Airport and Nationwide
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- The FAA lifted the nationwide ground stop Friday evening after more than four hours.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed old air traffic control technology and overloaded routers.
- Orlando International Airport expects about 90 cancellations on Saturday.
Departures are moving again at airports across the country, including Orlando, after Friday afternoon’s halt. The FAA ground stop order kept departing flights on the ground for more than four hours. That backlog will take time to clear. Walt Disney World guests flying this weekend should plan for a slow recovery.
What Caused the Nationwide Ground Stop
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed aging air traffic control technology at a Friday night White House briefing, CNN reports. He told reporters: “Our routers actually got overloaded with data, and… they started to give us inconsistency in the data from those routers. And because of that, we shut the system down.” Earlier in the day, the FAA told airlines the problem is believed to have started at Chicago Midway International Airport and cascaded nationwide.
More than 3,500 planes were in the air when the FAA issued the order, according to Duffy. Those flights continued to their destinations while departures were paused. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said his department has seen no evidence of a cyberattack. That said, his department is still investigating and hasn’t ruled one out. Mullin also said the outage has no connection to Thursday’s Microsoft outage.
What It Means for Disney World Travelers
Flights won’t be back on schedule right away. Duffy said the return to normal will be slow and depends on how many crews are available, with planes carrying the most people moving first. Airlines will move more aircraft starting Saturday morning, he said. He doesn’t expect the disruption to affect Thanksgiving travel in a couple of weeks.
About 15,000 flights were delayed or canceled across the country on Friday, according to FlightAware data cited by CNN. More than 700 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. are already canceled for Saturday. Orlando International Airport told WFTV it expects about 90 cancellations on Saturday. That number may change as airlines resume operations, the airport said.
The airport is asking travelers to check first: “We continue to ask passengers to please check with their airlines to confirm future departure times.” Visit Orlando arranged discounted rates at Rosen Hotels and Resorts for travelers with proof of a ticket on an affected flight. Hilton Orlando is also offering a distressed rate. If you’re at Walt Disney World with a flight home this weekend, check your airline’s app before you leave your resort.
Story So Far
- November 13: The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports, including Orlando International Airport, after a communication issue hit air traffic control centers.
- November 13: The FAA lifted the ground stop Friday evening after more than four hours, and airlines began moving flights again.
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