Thousands of Flights Delayed or Canceled Due to FAA Server Outage

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I woke up at 5am HST, which is 10am EST and my phone was blowing up about the FAA server outage. There was a ground stop for nearly two hours but things are up and running again. Unfortunately, flight cancellations and delays are likely to continue at U.S. airports throughout the day and possibly tomorrow. RELATED: What to Do in Weather Delays and Flight Cancellations

FAA Update
Update 5: Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the U.S. following an overnight outage to the Notice to Air Missions system that provides safety info to flight crews. The ground stop has been lifted. We continue to look into the cause of the initial problem.

Update 5: Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the U.S. following an overnight outage to the Notice to Air Missions system that provides safety info to flight crews. The ground stop has been lifted.

We continue to look into the cause of the initial problem

— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) January 11, 2023

FlightAware’s flight delay and cancellation statistics for today
As of 11:08am PT, there have been 1,156 canceled flights to/from or within the United States and 8,116 delayed. You can see the FAA’s National Airspace System map above. Here’s a link to the up-to-date stats.

United Airlines issues travel waiver
United Airlines sent out a travel waiver for all of their passengers flying today or tomorrow stating: “This travel waiver allows for voluntary changes for travel to, from or through the airports listed. See Permitted Changes for additional parameters. Refund is permitted.”

Airports
• Boston, MA (BOS)
• Chicago-O’Hare, IL (ORD)
• Cleveland, OH (CLE)
• Denver, CO (DEN)
• Guam, GU, US (GUM)
• Honolulu, Oahu, HI (HNL)
• Houston, TX (IAH)
• Los Angeles, CA (LAX)
• New York/Newark, NJ (EWR)
• San Francisco, CA (SFO)
• Washington, DC – Dulles (IAD)

American Airlines
American Airlines didn’t release specific details, but they told USA Today, “To support our customers whose travel was affected by the FAA system issue, we’re providing additional flexibility to rebook their travel plans today and tomorrow without any additional fees.” Customers are advised to check the airline’s website.

Delta Air Lines
Delta: “We have issued a waiver for customers to rebook travel who are impacted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop related to an earlier technology issue. This disruption is affecting our operation systemwide and details of rebooking options are listed below. Check flight status frequently for up-to-the-minute information about your flight plans, or get updates sent directly to your mobile device or by email with One-Time Flight Notification.” Delta isn’t offering a refund like United but does say, “If travel is not able to be rescheduled within these guidelines, customers may cancel their reservation and apply any unused value of the ticket toward the purchase of a new ticket for a period of one year from the original ticket issuance.”

Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines has a travel advisory on their website stating, “All Customers who are traveling today, Jan 11, may rebook in the original class of service or travel standby (within 14 days of the original date of travel between the original city-pairs and in accordance with our accommodation procedures) without paying additional charges.”

It’s a big mess and the president of the U.S. Travel Association issued the following statement: “Today’s FAA catastrophic system failure is a clear sign that America’s transportation network desperately needs significant upgrades. Americans deserve an end-to-end travel experience that is seamless and secure. And our nation’s economy depends on a best-in-class air travel system. We call on federal policymakers to modernize our vital air travel infrastructure to ensure our systems are able to meet demand safely and efficiently.”

Here’s what to do if your flight is delayed or canceled.

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