The aftermath of the complete suspension of U.S. aviation continues... More than 4,000 flights were canceled on the 14th

Airports across the country are experiencing extreme confusion as the aftermath of the large-scale suspension of airline takeoffs that occurred across the United States on the 13th (local time) continued on the 14th.

In particular, flight takeoffs were completely halted for about 4 hours and 30 minutes on Friday afternoon, when demand for flights was concentrated, disrupting airline aircraft and crew deployment schedules, causing a series of disruptions that continued until today, Saturday.

Congestion is increasing as large-scale flight cancellations and delays continue, and passengers are stranded.

◇ FAA “Possibility of cancellation of up to 5,000 flights today… normalization by the 15th”

According to flight tracking site FlightAware, about 4,100 flights in the U.S. were canceled as of 11:05 a.m. on the 14th.

Reuters reported that more than 7,000 flights in the U.S. were disrupted on this day, including more than 4,000 canceled and about 3,000 delayed.

Major U.S. airlines, including Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and American Airlines, canceled about 20% of their flight schedules on this day. JetBlue, a low-cost airline, had a cancellation rate of 40%.

The previous day as well, more than 8,200 flights, or more than 31% of the total, were canceled according to the statistics of aviation data company Sirium.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Brian Bedford said that of the approximately 41,000 flights scheduled for today, 4,000 to 5,000 are likely to be canceled.

Commissioner Bedford predicted that airline flight schedules would be fully normalized by the end of business on the 15th.

However, it is possible that it will take longer for actual normalization to occur due to the misalignment of aircraft and crew.

Flight attendants are subject to maximum working hours and mandatory rest periods according to safety regulations. If the duty limit is reached due to a previous delay, additional flight crews cannot be assigned, and replacement crew members may be at other airports or already scheduled for flights, which will have a knock-on effect on subsequent flights.

U.S. airlines have informed passengers that delays and cancellations may continue as aircraft and crew are reassigned. Some airlines responded by waiving flight change and cancellation fees.

This incident affected not only US domestic flights but also international flights. Flights to the United States were delayed at major European airports, and cargo air transportation was also disrupted.

Aviation consultant Andrew Charlton said on the 13th that about a quarter of the average daily 45,000 flights in the U.S. were directly hit, and that "the ripple effect is enormous."

“Airplanes don't just go from A to B and then stop, they go to C and E and circle around and over again,” he told The Associated Press. “This problem gets worse on long-haul flights or international flights that cross the Atlantic or Pacific.”

◇ The airport is an overnight waiting area… Travel cancellations and economic disruptions continue

According to US media, major hub airports such as New York's JFK and LaGuardia airports, Chicago, Los Angeles (LA), and Atlanta were full of passengers who had spent the night lying on the floor since the night before.

Emily Brown, who waited with her daughter for more than four hours at the Dallas, Texas, airport, told the Associated Press that she eventually gave up on the trip.

Mr. Brown's daughter, who was planning to go to Columbus, Ohio to see her friend, ended up having to make a tearful phone call from the airport.

Mr. Brown said, “My 14-year-old daughter saved up her pocket money to buy a plane ticket and made all the travel plans herself,” and added, “Now I don’t know when I will be able to go.”

As passengers flocked to find alternative transportation, congestion continued at the airport's rental car companies. However, rental vehicles were running out, and some companies restricted one-way rentals.

American college football games were also affected.

Universities ahead of weekend games were unable to use charter flights and had to travel hundreds of kilometers using long-distance buses.

Auburn University and Purdue University traveled by bus to Mississippi and Iowa, respectively.

The game between Utah State University and the University of Arizona was postponed by three hours, and the University of Mississippi football team Ole Miss was unable to find transportation to Norman, Oklahoma, so its game against the University of Oklahoma was postponed to the 15th.

◇ Longest flight suspension in 25 years… Control vulnerabilities highlighted before Thanksgiving

This incident resulted in the suspension of aircraft takeoffs at airports across the country for approximately 4 hours and 23 minutes from 3:53 p.m. to 8:16 p.m. on the 13th, and AP reported that it was the longest nationwide flight suspension in 25 years since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

In the United States, a nationwide flight suspension occurred in January 2023 due to an FAA computer system failure, but it was shorter than the previous day's incident.

U.S. authorities believe that this failure is related to overload that occurred during the process of applying new technology to air traffic control communication equipment. A line was drawn that there was no connection with terrorism or artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

Transport Minister Sean Duffy explained that the disruption occurred while work was being done to replace the existing copper network with optical fiber. However, we are investigating whether it was an error in the work process or a defect in the equipment itself.

L3 Harris, the contractor in charge of replacing the communications network, said it was cooperating with the FAA investigation.

The New York Times pointed out that this incident "clearly revealed the chronic vulnerabilities of the FAA's outdated air traffic control infrastructure, which has suffered several setbacks in recent months."

In particular, as large-scale travel demand is expected to surge ahead of Thanksgiving, the largest holiday in the United States on the 26th, anxiety about aviation safety is also growing.