After a nationwide ground stop was issued that prevented all planes from taking off, the announcement reached travelers across the country who were caught up in thousands of delays and some cancellations as they tried to figure out how long it might last. On a plane scheduled to depart John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York bound for Savannah, Georgia, passengers were informed of the ground stop shortly before scheduled takeoff. The pilot said he had been ordered by the FAA to provide updates, but had nothing new to share, adding that they would wait a while before returning to the gate. The mood among passengers was somber as they waited for good news, while flight attendants handed out snacks. At Chicago O’Hare International Airport, communication to travelers about the ground stop did not appear to be straightforward, and travelers seemed relaxed and unaware of the extent of the advisory. One airline simply told passengers there was a “delay” and offered a meal voucher to passengers on a flight with an email saying, “We’re sorry for the change to your travel plans.” Periodically, a gate agent would announce that there was a ground stop, but offered no further context. One traveler on a flight to Los Angeles told CNN that he only learned about the ground stop through the news and did not hear any announcements on his flight. Meanwhile, passengers on a flight that had already taken off were worried about whether they would be able to land. A pilot who was on the air said many pilots are returning to the emergency frequency given the magnitude of the radio frequency outages. An FAA controller at an air traffic control center told CNN, “It’s a disaster right now.”
