US flight grounding halts departures before Thanksgiving holiday

Nationwide shutdown affects millions

Air traffic control systems failed across the United States, forcing authorities to suspend all departures until Friday evening at 8:15pm Eastern Time. Nearly 29 million passengers are expected to fly between November 20 and 30 according to Airlines for America forecasts. The grounding lasted about five hours before technicians restored the affected systems and lifted the ban on takeoffs. Thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed, leaving many passengers stranded at airports across the country.

Aging hardware caused the outage

Sean Duffy, US Transportation Secretary, said that outdated routers were overwhelmed by data flows leading to inconsistencies within the air traffic control system. This event marks the longest nationwide shutdown since the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and follows a similar failure in January 2023. Delta Air Lines cancelled more than 2,200 flights while American Airlines and United Airlines each lost over 1,800 services during the disruption.

Passengers face no compensation

US airlines will not compensate stranded passengers because the disruption stemmed from Federal Aviation Administration system failures rather than carrier errors. European aviation authorities requested suspension of US-bound departures while Australian carriers worked to clear backlogs for international travellers. The Australian Travel Industry Association advised those flying within 72 hours to contact their agents if updates were missing.