Nov 19, 2009 4:05 pm US/Central
Airport Operations Resume After Computer Glitch
Chicago Dept. Of Aviation: O'Hare, Midway Airports Reporting Normal Operations Thursday Evening
FAA Computer System In Atlanta Went Down Early Thursday
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
A computer glitch that affected the Federal Aviation Administration's flight plan information Thursday morning has been repaired, and airlines at both O'Hare and Midway airports are reporting normal operations as of Thursday evening.
Travelers heading to Midway and O'Hare Thursday morning experienced minor delays.
The FAA reported trouble with the flight plan computer system, which holds information about the size of a plane, its flight path, passenger data and other information about 6 a.m., according to a statement from FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory.
While the information was being processed manually, the process caused delays at the gate for passengers, Isham Cory said.
CBS 2's Don Schwenneker reports that airplanes were on the ground, instead of in the air up and down the East Coast Thursday morning. The computer system that caused the mess is back up and running.
By mid-afternoon, the FAA reported that most airports were running on-time, with some minor, sporadic delays on the East Coast.
Delta and AirTran Airways were particularly hard hit. Both carriers have hubs at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world's busiest airport.
Around 5:15 a.m. Thursday, the FAA began experiencing problems with its computer system that processes flight plan information. Controllers had to start manually entering information for each takeoff and landing. That took much longer than the automated system, and slowed everything down.
The back-up began on the East Coast. Delays at New York's LaGuardia Airport were generally minor, but passengers everywhere are being urged to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.
"We just have to wait, that's basically what they told us," a traveler said.
"It could be a hard day for people. I hope I'm not one of them," another traveler said.
As of about 8:35 a.m., the system was up and running.
Airlines stress that there was never any danger in the air. Radar, weather equipment and radio communications were not affected.
"Any delays we saw today were at the gate," Isham Cory said in a statement. "Flights in the air were safe -- we could always see planes on radar and talk to them. Again, the planes that were affected today were on the ground at the gates."
As of 3:30 p.m. airlines at both O'Hare and Midway were reporting normal operations, except for flights to and from the East, which may be delayed due to weather in that area, according to a statement from the Chicago Department of Aviation.
The department advises passengers traveling to and from the East to check their airline's Web site or to call to confirm the status of their flight.
The FAA is investigating what caused the computer outage. There's been no talk about cyber-terrorism at this point.
This is the second time in 15 months that a computer problem with the FAA flight plan system has caused delays.
New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer says the U.S. aviation system is in shambles and unless more resources are funneled to the FAA, these glitches will happen more regularly.
CBS 2's Don Schwenneker and the Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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