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Glitch Delays Hundreds Of Flights

Posted on: Thursday, 28 August 2008, 08:05 CDT

The Federal Aviation Administration drew new criticism after a large number of flights were delayed because of an electronic communication failure.

The delays on Tuesday, caused by a software glitch at a Hampton, GA facility, hit the Northeast hardest and slowed flight plans for the eastern U.S.

According to the FAA, flight plans returned to normal by early evening although delays still remained in Chicago and Atlanta.

An FAA Web site showed delays at three dozen major airports across the U.S. 

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, said the incident "once again highlights the need to reform and repair a broken system."

His rival, Sen. Barack Obama, agreed saying "airline passengers are sick and tired of delays and cancellations."

The FAA says it will work to see the issue does not arise again.

"We have our engineers looking at it and we're doing a complete investigation," said FAA spokeswoman Diane Spitaliere.

FAA spokeswomen Kathleen Bergen added that the problem did not cause any safety issues, and pilots were still able to communicate with ground control.

Bergen said she did not know the exact number of flights affected, but believed it was in the hundreds.  She also said the FAA processes nearly 300,000 flights in a 24 hour period.

An unrelated hardware problem also occurred at the Hampton facility on Aug. 21, causing delays to 134 flights.

According to Bergen, officials at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest airport, were entering flight data manually in an attempt to minimize delays.

At one point the FAA asked airports that no new flight plans be filed.

The communication failure caused delays for departures and arrivals at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, according to airport spokeswoman Cheryl Stewart. However, she did not have a number on delays.

The FAA at one point asked that no new flight plans be filed, Stewart said.

The glitch at the Hampton facility shifted a massive number of flights to a similar facility in Utah for processing. 

According to Allen Kenitzer, a spokesman for the FAA, the Utah system could handle the extra work, but it was expected to slow down air traffic.

"We're not going to let an unsafe condition exist. It's just going to be slower," Kenitzer said.

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On the Net:

• FAA

Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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