Air failure in the USA cancels seven flights and delays another 14 in Brazil

Seven of the 29 flights scheduled to depart from Brazil to the United States between late afternoon this Friday (13th) and 2pm this Saturday (14th) had to be canceled due to the interruption of air traffic in American territory.

According to the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac), another 14 flights departed late during the same period.

The problems in Brazilian territory are a reflection of the communication failure that affected US air traffic control centers shortly before 3:54 pm (East Coast time; 5:54 pm in Brasília) yesterday, forcing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to suspend all takeoffs in the country.

According to the United States Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, the communication failure appears to have been caused by the incompetence or recklessness of a private company contracted to provide services to the FAA, L3Harris, whose employees were performing a sensitive service in a remote region of the country when the problems began.

"We are working to determine whether there was incompetence, that is, whether it was an error by the user or the L3Harris installer, or whether they installed a faulty router. We have not yet determined what the fault was," Duffy said during a press conference, according to the news agency Reuters.

The FAA lifted the ban on takeoffs in almost all of the United States on Friday night. But as thousands of flights had already been canceled and many others affected, the ban continues to generate consequences this Saturday.

According to the FAA, more than 16,000 flights were canceled in the United States alone in the last two days.

Guidelines for passengers

In Brazil, Anac advised passengers with a planned trip to consult the airline to confirm the status of their flight before traveling to the airport.

Airlines must immediately report delays, cancellations and service interruptions. In case of delay, they must keep passengers frequently informed about the expected departure date.

The airline must offer free material assistance, depending on the waiting time at the airport - counting from the beginning of the delay, cancellation or interruption of the service.

When the waiting time exceeds two hours, the airline must offer adequate food free of charge, through food credit, meals or an equivalent solution.

In the event of a delay of more than four hours, cancellation or interruption of the service, the company must offer, at the passenger's choice, re-accommodation on another flight, full refund or execution of the service by another mode of transport, as applicable.

Reaccommodation is free and must occur, on your own flight or on another airline, at the first opportunity, that is, on a flight whose date and time are closest to the delayed, canceled or interrupted flight.

If the offer is not convenient, the passenger can opt for a flight from the company itself, on a date and time of their choice, within the remaining validity period of the ticket.