CHICAGO () — Hundreds of additional flights were canceled at Chicago airports Saturday after an apparent failure in the Federal Aviation Administration’s aging communications system brought departures nationwide to a halt Friday.
The FAA’s nationwide ground stop, lifted shortly before 7:30 p.m. Friday, was only the second such stoppage in the country since the restrictions imposed immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the first since January 2023. Although the four-hour halt has ended, airlines are still working through thousands of disrupted flights.
The outage created massive crowds and mounting frustration at both Chicago airports Friday. Some passengers were stranded while aircraft sat on runways waiting for gates.
Thousands of passengers remained delayed or faced cancellations Saturday as they tried to reach their destinations and locate missing luggage.
As of 1:43 p.m. Saturday, 605 flights had been canceled at O’Hare and another 72 at Midway. Average delays were 28 minutes at O’Hare and 23 minutes at Midway.
Long lines continued to form at the Chicago airports as travelers dealt with the fallout from Friday’s hourslong ground stop.
“After last night, I don’t think I want to get on a plane anymore because I don’t really know what’s going on. They said it was the FAA communications, but I don’t know — it really sounds weird,” air traveler Gerard Hill said.
Hill and his wife had planned to attend a birthday party in Nashville. Instead, they joined other stranded passengers in searching for their luggage, including Vivian Azeredo, whose flight to Dublin, Ireland, was canceled.
“Our flight lost contact with the tower in midflight. We were able to land safely, which was great, but we spent 6 1/2 hours on the tarmac waiting for the plane,” Azeredo said.
The travel disruption continued as passengers searched for rental cars and hotel rooms near the airports. Many of those options quickly sold out.
Dan Throm of Appleton, Wisconsin, and his son were traveling to Oklahoma City for the Ole Miss football game when they became stranded at O’Hare International Airport. They were waiting for transportation home while also trying to retrieve their bags.
“It’s been a long road, and they say the bags are here. We’re hoping they can save them and get them to us before we leave. Chances are it will be like most people — we’ll call later and wait, hopefully getting them down the road,” Throm said.
Although flights resumed, aviation experts warned that the disruption could continue through the weekend. Flight crews may reach their legal time limits, while aircraft remain out of position, creating the potential for more delays and cancellations.
Passengers at Midway International Airport were also dealing with delays Saturday as airlines worked to recover from Friday’s nationwide ground stop.
“I’m mainly exhausted. I’ve been in an airport since 5 o’clock this morning,” passenger Stephanie Hugel said.
Hugel was among thousands of travelers caught in the disruption. She missed her connection at Midway by two minutes and now has to spend the night at the airport.
“I was originally supposed to be home around 12:30 this afternoon, but everything has been shifted around. Now it feels like this never-ending airport journey,” Hugel said.
Airlines scrambled to rebook passengers after Friday’s nationwide ground stop.
“The last time we saw something of this magnitude was Sept. 11, and that was, of course, a terrorist incident,” said Dr. Sheldon Jacobson of the University of Illinois.
Jacobson said the delays multiplied as they moved through the aviation system.
“There are multiple layers put in place purely for safety purposes, and if any one layer is compromised, it can ultimately wreak havoc throughout the entire system,” Jacobson said.
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said officials ordered the ground stop after an upgrade to outdated equipment failed.
“We don’t believe this was cyber at all. This was an FAA system that didn’t meet — didn’t meet the moment,” Duffy said.
Airlines are gradually rebuilding their operations, repositioning crews and aircraft.
“The flights just kept getting delayed and pushed back. We had to stay there for a while, but we got through it. I’m glad to be back home,” passenger Johnny Barginear said.
At Midway Airport, the average delay Saturday night was 65 minutes. At least three flights had already been canceled for Sunday morning.
“I think it has to end, and I think we all agree it has to end. We all have to come together and end it without worrying about politics,” passenger Tom McDonald said.
The disruption has also fueled a national debate over funding, but passengers at Midway said their immediate priority was reaching their destinations.
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Problems emerged in Chicago Friday afternoon, before the nationwide ground stop was officially announced.
A ground stop was issued at Chicago O’Hare International Airport at 2:10 p.m. because of an equipment outage. A second stop began at Chicago Midway International Airport at 2:17 p.m.
The national ground stop was not issued until 2:54 p.m. CT.
Late Friday night, the city’s aviation department told ABC7, “No Chicago Department of Aviation infrastructure is part of the affected FAA communications systems.”
Duffy said radar and communications systems had become unstable, describing the technology as outdated and calling for increased funding. Homeland Security officials said they do not believe the incident was a cyberattack, although they have not completely ruled that possibility out.
The ground stop was lifted before 7:30 p.m. Friday, but airlines were already scrambling to restore their schedules.
The U.S. disruption also produced ripple effects around the world.
Mexico’s Federal Civil Aviation Agency said it imposed temporary restrictions as a precaution.
Air Canada canceled flights between Canada and the United States, while Canada’s Civil Air Navigation Service said Canadian systems were not affected.
Flights to Europe were among the first to resume, with airport officials saying those routes rely on a different system.
The ground stop also disrupted Saturday’s college football schedule as teams worked to reach their games.
At least one major college football game was rescheduled because of travel problems. No. 19 Mississippi will play at Oklahoma on Sunday instead of Saturday afternoon.
Major conferences, including the SEC, Big Ten and Big Twelve, pushed back some Saturday kickoff times to give teams more time to arrive. Other teams chose to travel by bus rather than risk additional flight delays.
